


Danganronpa: Locked and Reloaded

by Purpli



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Angst, Dead Teenagers, Dialogue Heavy, Fluff, M/M, Regret, This is going to have so many parts and I have so many unfinished works, Why Did I Write This?, im setting this up for a sequel, me regret, not character regret, technically this is danganronpa but newer characters live
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:41:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 51,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22856419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purpli/pseuds/Purpli
Summary: Stuck in Hope's Peak Academy in a cruel killing game, class 78 is forced to either kill or stay trapped forever.Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student becomes friends with an unusual pair... of people?Who would've thought discovering who murdered someone would get him two boyfriends.Spoilers for Danganronpa Trigger Happy Havoc (somewhat)(On indefinite hiatus)
Relationships: Ishida Kiyondo/Naegi Makoto, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 16
Kudos: 78





	1. A Songbirds' Lullaby

* * *

Makoto hated this school already. Confined to only one floor, he felt like a lab rat, always watched by an unknown yet threatening presence.

He found comfort hanging with Sayaka, for they had met when they were younger. She was truly the only familiar face.

Sure he had researched the other students before coming to this hell, but he didn’t know them. 

And now?

He didn’t really care to.

Meeting the other students every day in the cafeteria was their idea of safety, something to grasp onto.

Seeing his peers already in the cafeteria made Makoto feel sheepish. He already felt out of place.

“Ah, Makoto, glad to have you join us!” Kiyotaka yelled, or maybe that was just his regular volume.

“Sorry for being late…” Makoto mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I must’ve overslept.”

“Tch,” Byakuya practically spat, “that much is obvious.” 

Makoto chose to ignore the venom in Byakuya’s words and sat down at the cafeteria table.

“Anyways! As the Ultimate Moral Compass, I will lead today’s morning discussion!” Kiyotaka said, and his leadership went surprisingly unquestioned by the class.

Other than Makoto being late, the morning was uneventful. They had no information since their first day stuck in Hope’s Peak Academy. Monokuma was of course still very unhelpful.

“Well, well, well!” Monokuma began, “it looks like the ungrateful students finally have come crying to me!”

“N-no one c-called you here, M-Monokuma,” Toko said, hiding behind Byakuya.

“Semantics, semantics!” Monokuma yelled, “I think you students need a reason to escape this school.”

“A reason to leave this school?” Leon asked, staring blankly at Monokuma.

“Hm, all it seems to be is a reason to commit murder, yes?” Celeste added.

“Well, yes…” Monokuma said, pretending to be downtrodden, “but I think you’ll find this, well… motive, quite inspiring!”

“Motive?” Sayaka asked.

“Every murder has a motive! Don’t think I’ve forgotten that…” Monokuma scolded.

“Well, are ya gonna tell us the motive?!” Mondo asked, suddenly impatient.

“Hm… since you asked so nicely…” Monokuma said, putting his white paw on his face, as if thinking, “check your rooms!”

“Our rooms?” Makoto asked out loud, but it was mostly to himself.

“Yep! Yep! Yep! In your rooms a tape containing all you’ll need to know is waiting, oooh it really makes me anxious!” Monokuma replied happily before disappearing.

“So, what’re we supposed to do?” Leon asked.

“Obviously go to our rooms, idiot,” Byakuya told Leon before leaving. Everyone stared at where Byakuya just was for a moment before deciding to follow his advice.

Makoto headed back to his room, unlocking the door with his key. 

When he first scanned the dorm, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He looked around for a moment before Monokuma appeared behind him.

“Well! It looks like you’re having trouble finding your tape, Makoto!” Monokuma yelled, scaring Makoto.

“W-when did you get in here?!” Makoto cried out

“Puhuhu, wouldn’t you like to know?” Monokuma responded

“Yeah… it would be helpful,” Makoto said, crossing his arms.

“Well! It’s somewhere in here…!” Monokuma said cheerfully.

What a big help, Makoto thought to himself.

“But if you’re so curious…” Monokuma said sweetly, “I can give you an eensy peensy tiny winy big fat freakin’ hinty winty.”

“...what?” Makoto asked.

“It’s hidden somewhere in this room, specifically somewhere behind your bed!” Monokuma said before disappearing.

“Behind my bed…? What could that mean?” Makoto asked himself. He decided to check the floor, but no tape was found.

“Huh, maybe he meant my desk…?” Makoto spoke to himself again. Inside his desk was a DVD in a jewel case, the DVD itself was labeled “Makoto” in rushed looking sharpie.

“What am I supposed to do with this…?” Makoto asked, out loud once again. 

“Well, you can eat it!” Monokuma exclaimed as he once again appeared.

“E-eat it?!” Makoto asked.

“Yes! Put it in your mouth and chew really hard and you’ll get your motive.” Monokuma said, “Or… you can go into the AV room like everyone else and watch the clip with the DVRs. It’s really up to you!” Monokuma said as he once again disappeared. 

Makoto took up on Monokuma’s advice and went to the AV room. Like Monokuma said his peers were already in the AV room.

“Makoto,” Sayaka said, “I didn’t want to watch my video without you… so, I’m glad you arrived!” 

“Ah, Sayaka.” Makoto blushed, “how nice of you…?”

The two of them loaded the DVD into the DVR, after lagging for a second the TV showed a picture of Sayaka’s band.

After a moment of the picture showing up, narration began.

“Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation--lead singer for a world-famous all-girl pop band.”

Another flicker as the narration continued.

“For these girls, the glowing spotlight only made them that much more beautiful. But then…”

Suddenly the image changed, Sayaka was no longer part of the band and her bandmates were lying on the stage, facedown.

“This ultra-successful team suddenly fell apart!” The voice continued, mercilessly. 

“None of them will ever perform on stage again. None of them will ever feel the warmth of the spotlight…”

“For Sayaka, there's simply nowhere for her to return to.”

“So here's the billion-dollar question--what oh what could have caused the group to go to pieces!?”

The monitor suddenly showed a picture of the text saying “Look for the answer after graduation!”

After the monitor shut off Sayaka stared blankly at the screen. Her eyes, filled with emotion only minutes before stared dead at the sight in front of them. For a moment she was as still as a statue, her lips in a thin line on her usually smiling face.

She turned to Makoto, voice filled with nothing and asked.

“Don’t you have your own motive to watch?” 

Makoto was unnerved at Sayaka’s reaction, but he didn’t feel any need to argue. He was curious about his own tape. 

Makoto moved away from Sayaka slowly, as he made his way to an unattended monitor.

He put in his DVD cautiously, he had no clue what it could contain. Sayaka’s video was so disturbing, he could only hope his would be a little better.

The screen flickered to life as Makoto’s family shined into view.

Makoto’s mom began the video’s audio, “You getting picked to attend Hope's Peak Academy is like a dream come true. Make sure you do your best!"

Makoto’s dad speaks next, “I'm so proud of you, son. But remember--don't push yourself too hard!"

Makoto’s sister, Komaru, speaks excitedly, “Are you really watching this, Makoto? Good luck, okay?"

Makoto stared at the screen, he was happy seeing his family but also worried about what was going to happen. Something told Makoto that his video wasn’t going to end happily for his family.

All of a sudden his family disappears and the couch they were sitting on is ruined, Monokuma’s voice snaps Makoto out of his stupor.

“Makoto Naegi, accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. And his family, who supported such a lucky boy..."

"But it seems like...something's happened to this family's well-being!"

"Oh boy, this is bad! What could have possibly happened to this family's well-being!?"

Like Sayaka’s video, the video of what happened to his family faded out and was replaced with text that said: “Look for the answer after graduation!”. Makoto’s heart was beating faster than he knew possible. Staring blankly at his screen, he felt his mouth go dry.

What had happened to his family?

Sayaka who realized Makoto’s video was done, came up to him. She still seemed off, cold and distant.

“Can we talk privately?” she asked Makoto in a small voice. Makoto nodded, still trying to understand what he saw on his video.

Sayaka led Makoto to an empty classroom. After a minute her composure totally broke.

She fell to the floor and started sobbing. Makoto, still in shock, took a moment to realize what was happening.

“Sayaka!” Makoto cried out, falling to the floor with her, “are you alright?!”

Sayaka sobbed endlessly, grabbing onto Makoto like he was a life preserver.

“Promise me,” Sayaka gasped out between sobs, “that we’ll get out together, no matter what.”

Makoto paused for a moment before responding, “Of course!” he yells a bit too loud. “We’ll make it out together, alright?”

Seemingly calmed by his promise, Sayaka’s sobs began to weaken, turning into short gasps.

Monokuma decided it’s the perfect time to intervene.

“Ah, young love! How I wish I was young again!” Monokuma cried.

“W-what are you doing here?!” Makoto asked, once again unnerved by his headmaster’s appearance.

“Ahaha! I love seeing the tears of my disciples, it fills me with such joy!” Monokuma replied, laughing maniacally.

“Well, you’re not going to get us to kill,” Makoto responded, filled with righteous anger.

“Oh? Is that true? You can control all of your peers?” 

“Well.. no,” Makoto admitted, “but, I can believe in them! Surely that must be enough!”

“Ahaha! Such naivety from a highschooler, do you also believe in fairy tales?” Monokuma said as Makoto stared at him, unable to respond.

“I digress! Have fun making out, kids!” Monokuma yelled before disappearing.

“Well, I guess we should move, now,” Sayaka mutters.

“Are you alright, Sayaka?” Makoto asks, concerned for his friend.

“I’ll be fine, you promised me we’ll get out of here together, and I believe you,” Sayaka said smiling, she was completely back to normal.

Makoto nodded, at Sayaka’s statement.

“Well, we should head to bed. I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Of course!” Makoto said eagerly, truth be told this was all mentally exhausting.

As Makoto made his way back to his room, he couldn’t help but feel worried. Sayaka’s reaction to her tape was so… un-Sayaka like…? He had no better term.

How important were her bandmates? Were they like family?

Makoto’s thoughts were plagued with worry as he slowly fell asleep.

Makoto was awoken to the usual sound of the morning announcement. Groaning as he got up, he slowly made his way to the shower. 

Taking a brief shower so he wouldn’t be late to the morning meeting, Makoto got out of his room 30 minutes later.

Making his way to the cafeteria Makoto was surprised to only see Kiyotaka there.

“Ah! Makoto!” Kiyotaka yelled at Makoto as he made way into the cafeteria.

“...Oh, Kiyotaka… it’s nice to see you.” Makoto mumbled, still tired.

“Aha! You don’t have to call me Kiyotaka, we’re friends, you can call me Taka.” Kiyotaka told Makoto.

“Ah, sorry, I must’ve forgotten, Taka,” Makoto mumbled.

“Makoto! You aren’t a morning person!” Kiyotaka yelled, causing Makoto to wince slightly.

“No… I guess not.” Makoto said dumbly, not knowing what else to say.

“Well, you should learn to love mornings, Makoto!” Kiyotaka began, “after all, it’s best to start early and get ahead!”

“Huh? Yeah…” Makoto muttered, pretending to agree.

The other students started filling the cafeteria, even Byakuya showed up.

The morning meeting like yesterday’s was uneventful, they had no new information. No routes of escape. 

After the morning meeting, Sayaka approached Makoto. 

“Makoto, would you like to hang out?” Sayaka asked Makoto.

Makoto nodded, happy to see his fears were unfounded about Sayaka’s behavior.

“Sure,” Makoto said, “where do you wanna go?”

“I was thinking we just explore the school,” Sayaka admitted, “I want to get to know this place.”

“Good idea!” Makoto said, “lead the way!” 

And so, Sayaka did in fact, lead the way.

Eventually, the pair of them made their way to the trophy room.

“Huh,” Sayaka muttered.

“What’s wrong?” Makoto asked.

“Don’t you think our rooms are a little bare…?” Sayaka asked, scanning the room.

“When you say that, yeah…” Makoto muttered, not understanding where this conversation was leading.

“That sword!” Sayaka said suddenly, “you should put it in your room!”

“Are you sure we’re allowed to take it?” Makoto asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Sayaka said, “I mean it’s not Monokuma branded and it says nothing about taking things from the school…”

“Well, then let’s get it into my room.”

Makoto brought the sword into his room and placed it on his counter. Looking down at his hands, he could see a gold coloring staining them.

“Huh, it looks like some of the gold paint has stained my hands…” Makoto mumbled to himself.

“Weird,” Sayaka agreed. “You think for Hope’s Peak it would have much higher quality paint…”

“Well, you wouldn’t think we’d be trapped in Hope’s Peak either,” Makoto replied.

“Well, I guess you’re right about that.” Sayaka agreed.

“Anyways, Makoto,” Sayaka began, “I must be going, but seek me out any time you want to hang out!” 

“Already…? Well, alright. See you later?” Makoto asked.

Sayaka looked at him and smiled, “see you later!” she echoed.

Makoto now had time to himself.

Who could he hang out with?

Checking his Monokuma tablet, he saw the icon of Chihiro Fujisaki in the hallway of the dorms.

Makoto left his dorm and found Chihiro idling.

“Oh, Makoto…!” Chihiro said when Makoto went up to her.

“Hey Chihiro, would you like to hang out…?” Makoto asked.

“Huh…? Sure..!” Chihiro replied after a moment.

After hanging out with Chihiro for a little bit, walking around the school it was quite clear to Makoto that something was bothering the girl.

“No… No…!” Chihiro muttered.

“What’s wrong, Chihiro?” Makoto asked.

“Ahh, it hurts…” Chihiro said, tears already beginning to form in her eyes.

“Huh? Did you get hurt, Chihiro?” Makoto asked worriedly.

“Oh, well…not really. I got bit by a mosquito last night.”

“A mosquito…? Oh, I figured something serious happened, since you were saying how it hurt.”

“Oh, did I give you the wrong impression…?” Chihiro asked, but before Makoto could respond Chihiro apologized.

“You don’t have to apologize. It was my own fault.” Makoto said, still frowning, “but you said it hurts? Did it really bite you that hard?”

“Yeah, see? Look.” After saying this Chihiro showed Makoto her arm. The huge red bite stood out clearly against her skin.

“Holy cow!” Makoto exclaimed.

“It’s way past itchy now. It really hurts…!” Chihiro complained.

“But why’s it so big? Did it bite you while you were sleeping or something?”

“Oh, no. I was awake.”

“But you didn’t notice?”

“No, I noticed. But…”

“But what?” Makoto asked, curious.

“Well I felt it bite me, and I looked down at it. But I didn’t do anything. I just sat there and watched it suck my blood…”

“You just watched? Why didn’t you smack it?”

“Cuz… that would’ve killed it, right?”

“Well yeah, but…”

“It must have been really hungry to suck that much blood.” Chihiro explained, “If it was that hungry, it would’ve been really sad not to let it have anything.”

“But...it’s just a mosquito.” Makoto interjected.

“Mosquitos are living things too, though. It might have its own mosquito family…” Chihiro muttered, “S-Sorry, I know that's dumb…”

“No, really, you don't have to apologize. But don't go scratching it, okay? That'll just make things worse.”

“But what if it gets so itchy I can't take it?” Chihiro asked.

“Well...in that case, just take the tip of your fingernail and push it into the bump. That’ll help.”

“Wow, I had no idea…!” Chihiro said, eyes lighting up with joy. “You’re so smart, Makoto!” After pausing for a moment, Chihiro continued to speak.

“But anyway, don’t you think it’s kinda strange?”

“Huh? What is?” Makoto asked.

“Well this school is completely sealed off, right? So how'd a mosquito get in? Maybe there's somewhere here in the school where bugs can live and grow. Some kind of...nature-y spot.” Chihiro paused again, “Or or or! Maybe there's a secret passage somewhere that leads out of the school!”

“Well, even if there's not, I'm sure we'll get out of here somehow. As long as we all work together, I'm sure we'll be out of here in no time!” Makoto said, matching Chihiro’s enthusiasm.

“You're right! Working together is super important…” after Chihiro said this, she looked down, “Of course, I dunno how I can be useful. I'll probably just weigh you all down…”

“That's not true! It makes me feel way better knowing you're here to help!” Makoto said, trying to lift Chihiro’s spirits.

“It does? Really...?”

“Yup! So let's all do our best, okay?”

“O-Okay! Eheh... Thank you, Makoto.” After saying this, Chihiro told Makoto she had to go. Makoto nodded before checking his Monokuma tablet again. He was interested in Kyoko Kirigiri, the only person here who’s talent wasn’t revealed yet.

The Monokuma tablet told him that Kyoko was in her dorm, Makoto made his way back to the dorms and knocked on her door.

After a few moments, Kyoko opened the door and stared at him.

“Why’re you here?” Kyoko asked, not rude, but uninterested.

“I was wondering if we could… hang out…?” Makoto asked. Kyoko thought for a moment before sighing.

“Sure, might as well.” 

After hanging out, Kyoko stared expectantly at Makoto.

“Is something wrong, Kyoko?”

“Are you scared, Makoto?” Kyoko asked him suddenly.

“Huh…?” Makoto asked, confused.

“Being trapped in a place like this…” Kyoko clarified, slightly.

“Wh-Who wouldn’t be…? Of course, I’m scared, being trapped in this insane school…” Makoto admitted.

“Ah. That’s good.”

“That’s… good?”

“Fear is proof that your imagination is still functioning. Frankly, I feel bad for anyone who can’t feel fear.” Kyoko explained. “Without imagination, you can never deduce what action to take next.”

“But what about you? You seem totally calm. You don’t act afraid at all.” Makoto muttered.

“I’m scared too, of course… I simply hide my emotions. There’s no advantage to be gained from letting others see how you feel.”

“You hide…? Huh?”

“What I mean is, I’m not as foolishly open as you are.” Kyoko paused briefly, “Also, the ‘fear’ I experience is a little different from yours, I imagine.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You’re afraid of what you might lose, right? But I’m afraid of what I’ve already lost.”

“I’m sorry...I don’t understand.”

“I know.” After saying that Kyoko turned around and left, leaving Makoto dumbfounded. One thing was for sure, Makoto didn’t have a clearer understanding of Kyoko at all.

After hanging out with Kyoko, Makoto headed back to his room. Tired, he wasn’t expecting to hear a knock on his door.

When he opened the door he saw Sayaka standing there.

“Ah, Makoto… may I come in?” Sayaka asked politely.

“Sure, Sayaka…” Makoto muttered, moving out of the way.

“I’m sorry for imposing,” Sayaka said, “but I’m simply too scared to sleep in my room tonight.”

“You’re scared?” Makoto asked, “what for?”

“I think I heard someone trying to force their way into my room,” Sayaka admitted.

“That’s horrible!” Makoto yelled, “do you know who, by any chance?”

“I’m afraid not, if it isn’t too much of a bother…” Sayaka began, “could we switch rooms for the night?”

“Uh… sure… but first I’ve got to teach you a bit about my room.” Makoto said.

“Huh?” Sayaka asked.

“My bathroom door doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. You have to move the door up because it doesn’t fit into the frame properly.”

“Oh. How interesting.” Sayaka said. “Well, I won’t have to worry about that tonight, will I?”

Makoto flushed, the water had already turned off, so Sayaka was right about that.

“I’ll be needing your key, right?” Makoto asked, and Sayaka smiled.

“Here you go, Makoto!” She said happily, handing him the key. “And thank you for this.” Makoto smiled as he left his room and made his way to Sayaka’s.

Her room was much the same, except it seemed pinker… odd. 

Makoto didn’t have any time to worry about this though, as he soon fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. 

Makoto awoke to nothing. Sayaka wasn’t in the room, which he thought was odd. Deciding it was time to head to his own room, he slowly left Sayaka’s dorm. 

Heading into his own dorm, something felt off. Maybe he needed a shower?

Suddenly he sees the most disturbing site, Leon Kuwata, lying motionless in a pool of his own blood.

His body was covered in stab wounds, whoever did this to him was not kind. 

Forgetting the fact that his dorm room’s door was still open, Makoto screamed. His vision started fading as he passed out.

When Makoto woke up, he realized he was on a bleacher. His stomach was doing flips as he was slowly remembering what he just saw.

“Ah! Sleeping beauty is finally up!” Monokuma said, sarcastically.

“Huh…? What happened…?” Makoto asked, fearful of the answer.

“Well, you don’t remember, huh… That might be a problem.” Monokuma said, “well luckily for you! I’m in the mood of explaining!” 

“Well y’see, Leon Kuwata’s corpse has just been found in **_your_** bathroom!” Monokuma said, whilst laughing.

“L-leon’s corpse?!” Makoto cried out, disturbed. 

“Mhm, brutally murdered in the same place you shower, how disgusting!” Monokuma said as if he was scolding Makoto.

“Why were we all called here?” Kyoko questioned, staring straight at Monokuma.

“Right to the point, aren’t we, _Kirigiri_?” Monokuma asked. “Well, I suppose it can’t be helped. I have to be honest with you students, I’ve been keeping a few secrets to myself.”

“S-secrets?” Toko asked, staring at Monokuma fearfully.

“I haven’t really explained graduation to its fullest extent, have I?” Monokuma asked to himself, “Nope! I haven’t at all.”

“What else could be missing?” Sakura asked.

“Well, … there’s something called a ‘Class Trial’... where the surviving members of your class all engage in a trial to decide who the blackened is…!”

“So, the killer doesn’t get to ‘graduate’ after committing a murder?” Sayaka asked, suddenly seeming concerned.

“That wouldn’t be very good for business, y’know…” Monokuma muttered, “If the blackened is found guilty, they get executed!”

“E-executed?!” Sayaka cried out.

“Mhm! But if they’re not found guilty… the whole class except for them dies!” Monokuma said, whilst laughing.

“S-so no m-matter w-what happens, s-somebody dies…” Toko muttered.

“Mhm! What a cruel world we live in indeed!” Monokuma replied quite cheerfully.

“And you think we’re going to play by your rules?” Junko asked, staring at Monokuma with her arms crossed.

“You’re gonna have to!” Monokuma said, “Afterall if you attempt to ignore the class trial that’d be considered as you breaking the rules!”

“And if you break the rules, you’ll get punished nonetheless!”

“So,” Celeste began “no matter what, if we want to survive, we have to play by your rules?”

“Yep! That is if you value your life!”

“Well, how’re we supposed to find the blackened…?” Aoi asked.

“Investigation, of course! You can’t have a trial without evidence, can ya?” Monokuma asked.

“Anyways! You kids are gonna need an autopsy report!” Monokuma said, “after all, you need to know all about Leon’s final moments!”

“This seems very morbid,” Kyoko muttered.

“It also seems like a waste of time,” Byakuya said, “after all we already know Makoto did it.”

“What? No, I didn’t!” Makoto yelled.

“Leon’s body was found in **_your_ ** bathroom, Makoto,” Byakuya replied, crossing his arms.

“T-that doesn’t mean anything…” Makoto mumbled, but Makoto knew how bad the situation looked for him.

“Well! You can all vote Makoto in the class trial, but for now, you need evidence!” 

“W-where are w-we s-supposed to g-get e-evidence?” Toko asked.

“Anywhere! It’s your investigation, not mine!” Monokuma said before disappearing.

“I think our best idea is to head to the crime scene,” Aoi said suddenly. The class looked at each other for a moment before nodding. 

Everyone started leaving the gym and Makoto followed after them. Making their way back to Makoto’s dorm, Kyoko, Mondo, Sakura, Byakuya, and Makoto all went into the dorm.

“It seems your dorm has been left in quite a mess, Makoto,” Kyoko noted.

“Huh…?” Makoto asked.

“Unless you normally knock down tables and chairs, your room is certainly not in the way you left it,” Kyoko noted.

“Huh, you’re right…” Makoto mumbled.

“It seems there was at least a struggle in here, but why…?” Kyoko mumbled to herself.

Makoto thought it might be smart to check his bathroom, even if he didn’t want to see Leon, he knew he had to.

He didn’t really get a clear view before he passed out, so he had to look now.

The sight of Leon was still just as disturbing as he remembered. Leon’s shirt was filled with holes and colored pink with his blood. A knife, presumably the one that murdered him, lay next to him. Leon’s mouth was stained with blood, implying internal bleeding.

That wasn’t the oddest part of Leon’s body, sure the murder was gruesome, but the weirdest part of Leon’s body was his hands.

As Kyoko lifted up Leon’s hands, Makoto and Kyoko could see that they were absolutely covered in gold dust. 

“Hm, what is this on his hands…?” Kyoko asked, mostly to herself.

“I think… it’s gold powder from the sword in my room…” Makoto answered, slightly unsure.

“Gold powder from the sword in your room…?” Kyoko asked.

“Yeah, Sayaka suggested I bring it into my room. We found it in the trophy room, but it’s seemed to be cheaply made, as the gold coloring stained my hands.”

“Hm…” Kyoko muttered. “I don’t think we’ll find anything more here,” after saying that Kyoko left the bathroom and Makoto followed her.

Kyoko looked around the room and stared at Makoto’s desk.

“Makoto,” Kyoko began, “I think there’s something interesting about your desk.”

“Huh…? My desk?” Makoto asked.

“Once you find it, bring it back to me.” Kyoko said, “We’ll examine it.”

Makoto made his way to his desk, once he was there, the only thing out of the ordinary was the placement of his notepad. Was this what Kyoko was talking about? Grabbing the notepad, Makoto brought the notepad to Kyoko.

“Is this what you’re talking about?” Makoto asked.

“Hm, yes,” Kyoko replied, taking the notepad out of his hand.

After scribbling on the paper, indentations were revealed that spelled out a message. According to the writing, Sayaka had invited Leon to visit her during the night.

“Is there anything else you need from me, Kyoko?” Makoto asked.

“Yes, actually.” Kyoko responded, “Have you noticed anything weird about Sayaka?” 

“Weird about Sayaka…?” Makoto echoed, confused.

“Hm,” Kyoko muttered before continuing, “in my opinion, after we got our motive tapes, Sayaka seemed the most affected out of all of us. I just think you should keep that in mind,” after saying that, Kyoko left the room.

Makoto didn’t think he’d get any more information out of his dorm room and left. 

When Makoto made it to the dorm hallway, he saw Sayaka standing holding her wrist. Concerned he went to talk to her.

“Sayaka, is there something wrong with your wrist?” Makoto asked.

“Huh?!” Sayaka asked startled.

“You’re gripping your wrist, that’s all…” Makoto muttered.

“Oh, my wrist is aching… that’s all. Anyways Makoto, I must be going!” Sayaka said before going back into her dorm. Makoto thought that was odd but there was nothing he could do about it.

Before Makoto could turn, Kiyotaka walked up to him.

“Makoto! Have you noticed anything strange about Sayaka?” Kiyotaka asked.

“Huh… what do you mean…?” Makoto asked.

“I mean, why she would be wearing your clothes so early in the morning?!” Kiyotaka asked as if this was the biggest scandal of his life.

“Wearing my clothes…? Taka, what are you talking about?”

“This morning, right after the morning announcement, Sayaka went into the laundry room wearing your clothing,” Kiyotaka explained.

“M-my clothing?! Taka, what are you implying?” Makoto asked.

“Remember, sexual intercourse is not permitted in a school environment!” Kiyotaka yelled before walking away.

Slightly confused, Makoto tried to talk to all of his classmates, most of them didn’t have anything to say, except Aoi.

“Well, I know you should be the biggest suspect, Makoto…” Aoi began, “but, Sayaka was a little bit weird last night…”

“How so?” Makoto asked.

“Well, she went into the kitchen and didn’t say hi to anyone,” Aoi said, “she left with a knife…”

“A knife?!”

“I know, right?!” Aoi sighed, “Anyways Makoto, just be careful…” After Aoi left, Makoto decided to see if he could verify if the knife was still missing.

Heading to the kitchen he made his way to the knives, in the knife set a knife was in fact missing. 

Before Makoto could make heads or tails of the situation, Monokuma’s voice sounded throughout the school.

“The investigation time is over! If everyone could head to the Monokuma room labeled on your Monokuma tablet so we could begin the class trial, that would be great!” 

Makoto made his way to the Monokuma room, the doors that were usually closed were opened and he could see his classmates already in the room. 

Once Makoto got in, he realized that this was an elevator.

Monokuma appeared and was muttering something to himself.

“Alright, kids! I hope you’re not afraid of elevators because we’re going down!” As Monokuma said that the elevator started its slow descent down. 

Makoto stood awkwardly, was he really prepared for the class trial? He’d have to prove his innocence here, if he didn’t, they’d all die.

But who was the killer? Could it really be one of his friends?

Makoto didn’t get any time to mentally prepare as the elevator made a swift halt. The doors opened, revealing a blue room with red curtains. 

The class trial room was sparse for its size, inside the room was a circle of podiums and a throne. 

Behind one of the podiums was a picture of Leon, his picture had an “X” on it. 

“W-where are w-we s-supposed to go?” Toko asked.

Monokuma slowly made his way to the throne, “Each podium has a name on it, just find yours!”

Slowly everyone found their podiums and stood at them.

“Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out ‘whodunnit’ then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one... then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate!”

“Didn’t you already tell us this?” Celeste asked.

“It’s just a basic refresher, kids these days don’t have a very good memory!”

“Before we begin,” Kyoko said, “I have a question.”

“Well, ask away!” Monokuma said.

“What’s going on with...that picture?” Kyoko asked.

“I'd feel awful if they got left out just because they died. Friendship penetrates even death's barrier!” Monokuma said, cheerfully.

“Friendship...penetrates?” Hifumi asked while sweating.

“Hm, but that doesn’t explain the other empty podium,” Celeste added. “There were only fifteen us, to begin with, yes? Why are there sixteen podiums?”

“Oh, our courtroom here can just fit sixteen people. There’s no specific reason.” Monokuma explained. ‘But enough about that! Let the class trial begin!”

“I assert that the one who was murdered was Mr. Leon Kuwata!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“Yeah, I think we all know that part already…” Yasuhiro added.

“And the murder took place in Makoto’s room,” Byakuya said.

“In the bathroom…” Aoi added.

“So it seems most likely that… the killer must have taken Leon by surprise while he was in the bathroom…” Chihiro began, “he didn’t even have a chance to resist.”

“No, that’s wrong!” Makoto yelled. “Just a second, Chihiro. Try to remember how my room looked… With the way things were damaged, I think we can assume there was a struggle.”

“A struggle?” Chihiro asked, “Between who… and who?”

“Between Leon and the killer, probably,” Makoto said.

“So you’re saying that Leon wasn’t caught by surprise?”

“He must have been attacked in the main room, then fled to the bathroom to try and hide. The killer followed him, and the rest is how they say, history?” Celeste said.

“That much should have been obvious after taking one look at the scene, did this even need explaining?” Byakuya asked, impatient.

“S-sorry…” Chihiro said.

“Okay, so what’s next?” Yasuhiro asked.

“Next, is the subject of the murder weapon,” Sakura said.

“Wow! This is like the Ace Attorney games…” Hifumi mumbled to himself.

“So what was used to kill him...?” Sakura asked.

“There were several holes in his body in the chest region…” Kiyotaka said, “Without a doubt, a sharp object must’ve been thrust several times into his chest!”

“So the killer used some random knife they had on ‘em… How could anyone do something like that?” Mondo said.

“No, that’s wrong!” Makoto yelled. “No, I don’t think it was just a random knife, I’m almost positive that the knife that killed Leon was a kitchen knife.” 

“A kitchen knife?” Mondo asked.

“After the murder, I found out that one of the knives from the kitchen was missing,” Makoto explained.

“Which means that knife must be the murder weapon,” Sakura concluded.

“Oh…yeah, I guess that makes sense. The knife next to Leon’s body was covered in blood but if you looked real close, you can totally see that being a kitchen knife.” Mondo said.

“Okay, sure, the murder weapon was a kitchen knife. But where does that get us?” Sayaka asked. “We already know that Makoto killed him, right?”

“That’s r-right… Makoto’s room was the s-scene of the crime. What more proof c-could we n-need?” Toko added.

“H-hold on a second-” Makoto began to interject but was interrupted.

“Let’s draw our conclusion **_after_ ** we’ve presented all our arguments. Otherwise, what’s the point of the trial?” Kyoko asked.

“Well we can discuss it all we want,” Sayaka said, “but that will not change the series of events.” 

“I don’t think that’s true, I’m sure if we keep at it, something new will reveal itself.”

“Do you really believe that?” Yasuhiro asked Kyoko, but she didn’t answer.

“So, I guess there’s no question that the kitchen knife was the murder weapon…” Sayaka began, “but where exactly does that get us?”

“M-Makoto must’ve taken it f-from the kitchen, right?” Toko added, “he did it in secret, when nobody was in the d-dining hall… and then he w-went and stabbed L-Leon with it!” 

“No, that’s wrong!” Makoto yelled, “Okay, wait, hold on. I didn’t take the knife from the kitchen.”

“Next you’re g-gonna say you’re not the k-killer, right? Go ahead and say it all y-you want…!” Toko said.

“Well, what if I have a witness? What do you think, Hina?” Makoto asked.

“...What?” Aoi asked.

“Remember what you told me earlier…?” Makoto asked.

“Oh yeah! I was in the dining hall during the time when the knife disappeared. Makoto didn’t enter at all during that time!” Aoi said.

“Do you remember who entered?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah, Sayaka entered and ignored me… and went straight for the kitchen.” Aoi said, “she was acting all weird and left a couple of minutes later…”

“A-acting all w-weird…?” Toko asked.

“I dunno how to explain it, she just seemed off, y’know?” Aoi said.

“W-well, h-how do we know you t-two aren’t just working t-together?!” Toko suddenly accused.

“Why would I get involved in something like that?!” Aoi asked, insulted.

“Speaking of which, I’d like to ask the bear...if there _is_ an **accomplice** , does the accomplice also become the ‘blackened’?” Byakuya asked.

“Ask and you shall receive!” Monokuma said, “Each murder is allowed to have an accomplice, but only the one who commits the murder will be allowed to graduate.”

“So, in other words… two people can work together but the accomplice has no chance of profiting from it…” Kyoko said.

“Then there’s no reason for anyone to work together, right…?” Mondo asked.

“But what if they _did_ work together? They wouldn’t know about the rule until now, right?” Chihiro asked.

“Ugh! Everyone shut up! There are no accomplices in this case… I mean! Did I just say that out loud?” Monokuma said.

“Anyways, I didn’t go to the dining hall, and I didn’t take the knife!” Makoto said, “So I’m not the killer!”

“Well, we know that Sayaka was in the kitchen… is there any chance she took the knife?” Chihiro asked.

“Why are we not suspecting Hina, she was also alone in the dining hall, no?” Celeste asked.

“N-no way! I can swear it wasn’t me!” Aoi said.

“Sure, but can anyone else prove that…?” Hifumi said.

“I can,” Sakura said.

“That’s right, Sakura was with me the whole time I was drinking my tea!” Aoi explained.

“But then… couldn’t either one of them just grabbed the knife?” Yasuhiro asked.

“Well…no, because um…” Aoi began.

“Just say it already!” Junko said.

“I stayed in Hina’s room last night,” Sakura explained.

“I got so scared from those creepy videos. I wasn’t really thinking so I just asked her to stay over.” Aoi said.

“You stayed over? Doesn’t that violate a school rule?” Junko asked.

“We’re not allowed to sleep anywhere but the dorms, but it doesn’t say anything about sleeping in someone else’s dorm,” Chihiro added.

“But it IS a problem! A boy and girl spending the night together!? That’s so-” Kiyotaka began.

“But... I’m a girl…” Sakura said.

“Wh--!? You are!? I’m so sorry!” Kiyotaka said.

“So, it seems the only other possibility is Sayaka, yes?” Celeste asked.

“Then… Sayaka is the one who took the knife?!” Makoto asked.

“Me? What’re you talking about?” Sayaka asked.

“You’re the only possibility. Hina and I noticed you were acting weird and since we have airtight alibis you’re the only other option.” Sakura explained.

“But, it was in Makoto’s room!” Sayaka yelled. “And I had no way of getting into Makoto’s room, remember!?” 

“No, that’s wrong!” Makoto yelled. “Sayaka, remember that we switched rooms last night…”

“W-what…? What are YOU talking about, Makoto?!” Sayaka yelled, once again. “I don’t remember switching rooms at all…!”

“You don’t, huh…” Kyoko said. “That’s funny because there is proof you were in Makoto’s room last night.”

“Huh…?” Sayaka asked. “What- what are you two talking about!? I wasn’t in Makoto’s room! You can’t prove it because I wasn’t THERE!”

“You’re all blind if you think I did it!” Sayaka began, “I’m completely innocent! There’s no way I would ever be in Makoto’s room!”

“No, that’s wrong!” Makoto yelled, “My notepad can prove you were in my room!” 

“Your… notepad…?” Sayaka mumbled.

“Kyoko and I discovered a message indented into the paper below, scribbling on it reveals a note to Leon asking him to meet in your room.”

“What…?” Sayaka asked.

“If you weren’t in my room, you’d have no access to my notepad, this proves you were at least in my room at one point.”

“Well! Jokes on you Makoto, I _can’t_ write!” Sayaka said, “My wrist is broken, there’s no way I could’ve written that!”

“I think it would be very hard for Miss Maizono to write with a broken wrist!” Hifumi said.

“Since we know her wrist is broken, we can assume the note was forged, yes?” Celeste asked.

“The only reasonable explanation is that Makoto wrote the note!” Yasuhiro said.

“No, that’s wrong!” Makoto yelled, “If you remember what the note said, it clearly stated that Leon was to visit ‘Sayaka’s’ room, not mine. If I was the murderer why would I lead Leon to Sayaka’s room and not mine?” 

“Well… uh… you were in Sayaka’s room…?” Yasuhiro said.

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Aoi responded, “Leon’s body was found in Makoto’s room!”

“Well, if the note wasn’t forged and Sayaka’s wrist was broken… how was the note created?”

“Are we so sure that Sayaka’s wrist was broken before the murder?” Kyoko asked.

“Huh?” Makoto asked, confused once again.

“Writing a note with a broken wrist is easy,” Kyoko said, “If your wrist isn’t broken at the time.”

“Huh?” Yasuhiro and Aoi said.

“I’m saying, we don’t know when Sayaka broke her wrist. So unless anyone witnessed her breaking her wrist, it’s safe to assume that it was broken at least _during_ the murder.” Kyoko explained.

“So, you’re saying… that Sayaka broke her wrist sometime during the murder…?” Chihiro asked.

“That’s the only reasonable explanation,” Kyoko replied, “unless Sayaka can explain why her wrist is broken…”

“Well… uh…” Sayaka muttered.

“Sayaka, would you like to explain why your wrist is broken?” Celeste asked.

“Uh… well, I fell last night…” Sayaka began, “Most of my body weight was on my wrist! I’m sorry for keeping this a secret, I was just so ashamed!”

“Whether you were ashamed or not, are you forgetting our lives are on the line? Specifically _my_ life?” Byakuya asked.

“I’m very sorry…!” Sayaka apologized.

“Well, I don’t see why she would be lying! The only outcome of this case is that Makoto did it!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“W-wait…!” Makoto yelled.

“Are you so sure, Kiyotaka?” Kyoko asked.

“Wh- Of course I am sure!” Kiyotaka replied

“Hm, well, there’s just a slight problem with Sayaka’s explanation…” Kyoko said, “Makoto, do you know what the problem is?”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked.

“Don’t you find it a little odd how she broke her wrist...?” Kyoko asked.

“Wait, there’s no possible way of her breaking just her wrist, right?” Makoto said.

“Of course there is!” Kiyotaka yelled, “She wouldn’t lie to us about her injury, we can all see it!”

“That might be true, but it’d be very hard for her to just fall on her wrist…” Makoto said.

“And, even if she did fall on her wrist,” Kyoko added, “where exactly did she fall from? There isn’t anything high enough that we can reach that would pose a danger for breaking any bones.”

“Well, if I didn’t break my wrist from falling, how do you suppose I broke it?” Sayaka asked.

“Like I said, I broke my wrist when I fell…” Sayaka said.

“T-there doesn’t seem to be any other a-alternative to that…” Toko muttered.

“No, that’s wrong!” Makoto yelled, “Kyoko and I discovered something strange about Leon’s body. His hands were covered in gold powder.”

“W-what does that h-have to do w-with a-anything!?” Toko asked.

“Well, there’s only one thing in my room that could leave such a residue…” Makoto said, “The golden sword from the trophy room. It seems to be cheaply made as the gold paint comes off and sticks to your hands like a powder.”

“S-so!? W-what is that s-supposed to p-prove…?” Toko asked.

“Let’s assume that Leon fought against his attacker, if someone was wielding a knife, they’d probably do it with their dominant arm, correct?” Makoto asked.

“W-well, y-yeah…” Toko said.

“Leon’s talent was the Ultimate Baseball Star, right? So I’m assuming he’d have a powerful swing. And if he used the fake sword to knock the knife out of Sayaka’s hand, there’s a good chance he would’ve broken Sayaka’s wrist.” Makoto said.

“Huh…!?” Sayaka cried.

“I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of what happened now…” Makoto mumbled.

“Well then,” Byakuya said, “share it with the class, won’t you Makoto?”

“Before Sayaka came to my room after Monokuma’s nighttime announcement she grabbed a knife from the kitchen, when she came to my room she told me that someone was at her door and was frightening her. After convincing me to switch rooms with her she wrote the note to Leon. She left the note under his door and returned my notepad. She must’ve switched our nameplates since she was in my room at the time. After Leon came in to meet with her, she attacked him, but he must’ve fought back. Breaking her wrist, he fled into my bathroom, which would’ve been good if Sayaka didn’t know how to open it. After picking up the knife again, Sayaka went into the bathroom. Leon had no chance as she was fueled with adrenaline and rage. After stabbing him multiple times, her clothes would’ve been a mess, but she would have no way to change them since she was in my room. She decided to wear my clothes and wait until morning, once the morning announcement sounded she went for the laundry room to clean her clothing. After that, all she had to do was wait until Leon’s body was discovered.” Makoto explained.

“Hm! How interesting!” Monokuma said. “Well, I guess it’s voting time!” 

“V-voting t-time…?” Toko asked.

“Mhm, pull the lever and vote for whoever you think committed the murder!”

After a few seconds, all votes were cast.

“Well, well, well…” Monokuma began, “It seems like the vote was right! The blackened this time around was none other than Sayaka Maizono!”

“No…” Sayaka cried, “No!” 

“No…? But I have video evidence of you doing it, Sayaka!” Monokuma said.

“Makoto… you promised me that we would leave together!” Sayaka screamed.

“W-wha…” Makoto mumbled.

“You LIED to me, Makoto!” Sayaka said, “Liar, liar, liar…!” after saying this Sayaka fell onto the floor crying.

“Well, it doesn’t matter if he lied or not!” Monokuma said, “The result is still the same!”

“The… result…?” Makoto asked.

“You remember the rules, don’t you, Makoto?” Monokuma asked, “The blackened is to be executed if they are caught!”

Suddenly Sayaka was grabbed by chains grabbing her arms and legs, the chains started pulling back into an unknown room.

All of a sudden Sayaka was shown on a stage, there was a score meter near her apparently counting how well she sang. Sayaka was singing well, despite her tears only moments before. Makoto could hope that somehow she could survive this. 

Then Monokuma appeared. 

Monokuma grabs a big hammer from seemingly out of nowhere and hits the score meter. Instantly the stage underneath Sayaka snaps up, and she is no more.

Makoto couldn’t believe what he just witnessed, he had just sentenced Sayaka to her death.

He stared at where she just was, unable to say anything. 

It seemed his peers were in the same position, up until now, it didn’t seem real. Like at any moment Leon would come waltzing in and everything would be okay.

But, now there were two students who were dead.

What were they going to do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins. 
> 
> This is very self-fulfilling, as you'll soon find out.
> 
> Yes, the free time dialogue and some of the trial dialogue is stolen directly from the game. Sue me, but I really didn't have any ideas for the free time dialogue.


	2. Problematic Workouts For The Aspiring

* * *

Makoto couldn’t shower. 

Physically, nothing was preventing him from showering, but seeing Leon’s dead body in his shower only a day prior still lingered in his mind.

True to his word, Monokuma had cleaned up any trace of Leon’s body. But you can’t erase memories.

Or at least Monokuma hadn’t.

After the execution of Sayaka, no one dared to say anything for a few minutes. It was all so painfully real.

Makoto remembered leaving the trial room and heading straight to his dorm. He felt so numb.

They had lost two people in one fell swoop. Both of them had died for nothing. 

But Makoto still kept the belief that all of them, well the rest of them, could get out of Hope’s Peak Academy. 

Even if it was useless, it was better than just accepting fate.

So Makoto slowly made his way to the cafeteria.

Unsurprisingly, everyone was there. Makoto couldn’t bother to care that he was late.

“Did that really happen…?” Aoi asked quietly as Makoto sat down at the table. He didn’t need to ask to know what she was talking about.

“Obviously,” Byakuya snapped back. “Why bother asking such stupid questions?”

“There’s no need to be cruel,” Kyoko responded, “it’s only natural someone would ask that question in a situation such as this.”

Byakuya frowned at Kyoko’s response but didn’t reply again. The tension was thick even as the morning discussion droned on.

“What did we gain from the deaths of Sayaka and Leon?” Makoto asked suddenly, causing everyone at the table to look at him.

“What do you mean, ‘what did we gain’ Mr. Naegi?” Hifumi asked, voicing the group’s confusion.

“I mean,” Makoto began, “when we were given our motives, we were told we would be given something in order to inspire us to kill. But none of us here committed murder, so do we gain anything from their deaths?” 

“That is a good question,” Kyoko muttered, putting her hand on her face. “I think it would be safe to assume that we’re getting something out of the deaths of the blackened and the victim.”

“What exactly could we gain from the deaths?” Celeste asked, “I mean, we did not fulfill the motive requirements, no?”

“Maybe it’s something different,” Sakura added, “something we can benefit from but the blackened wouldn’t.”

“What could we benefit from? We only want to escape, right?” Aoi asked.

“That’s superficial,” Kyoko responded. “We’re not only wanting to escape, as shown by Sayaka murdering Leon.”

“Yeah well, it’s not just fucking superficial,” Mondo said. “I want to leave this place as soon as fucking possible.” 

“Well, I think I see what Kyoko meant,” Makoto said. “There’s got to be something to keep us motivated or else we wouldn’t exactly be interesting to watch.”

“Ugh, I still can’t shake how odd it is to be constantly watched,” Junko added, crossing her arms.

“Y-you’re a m-model, don’t you l-like to be c-constantly watched?” Toko accused.

“I like getting paid to look pretty, I never signed up to be watched day and night without end,” Junko responded annoyed.

“W-well, you’re probably g-getting off to it!” Toko accused again, and Junko sighed before responding.

“ _I’m_ getting off to it?! Are you sure you’re not the one fantasizing about it?!” Junko shot back, glaring at Toko. 

“Ugh, will you pigs shut up?!” Byakuya said, voice cutting through their fight.

“Who are you to tell me to shut up?!” Junko yelled, taking her anger out on Byakuya instead of Toko.

“I’m Byakuya Togami and I’m set to inherit the Togami corporation! Who are you-” Byakuya began before he was interrupted by Kiyotaka.

“Everyone! Such a fight is unacceptable in a school setting!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“Taka…” Makoto mumbled, "I don't think they care about what's welcome in a school environment."

“Well, they should! Just because we are trapped in this school doesn’t mean we can resort to becoming mindless animals!” Kiyotaka responded.

“Hey,” Mondo said, apparently annoyed from Kiyotaka’s comment, “school ain’t the most important in the world.”

“What?! How can there be something more important than your studies?!” Kiyotaka asked, completely floored.

“I dunno man, have you tried _living_?” Mondo responded.

“I have! What a completely pointless question!” Kiyotaka said, not getting Mondo’s sarcasm.

“I’ll show you a completely fuckin’ pointless question!” Mondo said, as he started to get up, presumably to punch Kiyotaka.

“Everyone, settle down,” Kyoko said, crossing her arms. “We still haven’t answered the question of whether or not we’re getting anything from the class trials.”

“I just don’t understand what else we could get, other than our lives…” Aoi said.

“I don’t think it’s important,” Byakuya muttered. “After all, you’ll all be dying for me, anyways.”

“Uh, I don’t think so…” Makoto said, earning a glare from Byakuya.

“Tch,” Byakuya said as he adjusted his glasses. “You’ve just made yourself a huge enemy, Makoto.” 

“Well! It looks like this breakfast has been very informative!” Monokuma yelled, appearing once again out of thin air.

“Ah!” Makoto screamed, falling out of his chair. 

“I’ve been hearing your theories about the class trials, and I’m very intrigued!” Monokuma said, starting to sweat.

“Are you going to answer our questions, or are you going to be a nuisance?” Celeste asked.

“If you ask nicely you might get the answers you so desire…” Monokuma replied, still sweating.

“I’m starting to think we don’t want the answers,” Junko muttered, staring at Monokuma in disgust.

“Aww! You kids are no fun!” Monokuma pouted. “I guess I’ll answer your burning questions anyways! Since I’m so nice, y’know?” 

“No,” Kyoko said. “You are not exactly ‘nice’, Monokuma.”

“Anyways! After each class trial, if the class remains, a new area of the school will open up!” Monokuma explained.

“Huh? A new area of the school?” Makoto asked.

“Yup! I hope you didn’t think that this school was only a couple of rooms! The stairs aren’t just for decoration!” 

“N-new areas, huh… I s-suppose that isn’t s-so bad…” Toko muttered.

“Mhm! I’m not so heartless, you all need to give me some credit!” Monokuma replied proudly.

“The only credit you’ll get from me is when you die,” Byakuya said plainly.

“Ouch! My heart! I can see the _brats_ don’t need me here!” Monokuma replied before disappearing.

“Well, I guess that answers that question,” Kyoko said, looking at the others. “I suppose we should all explore, try to see the new area we ‘unlocked’.”

“Oh! This is like a video game!” Hifumi added.

“Tch,” Byakuya said as he got up. “If this is a video game, I’m intent on winning.”

“I think we all are…” Makoto said, once again earning a glare from Byakuya.

“There’s no use in fighting,” Celeste said, getting up as well. “We might as all work together to achieve our similar goals, no?”

“Yeah!” Aoi added. “If we work together, we’ll all get out just fine!”

“I agree,” Sakura said. “The sooner we explore the new area the better.”

“Then let’s get to it!” Kiyotaka yelled. “Together we can accomplish anything!”

With that, the class dispersed. It didn’t take long for them to discover that the second floor was accessible. They all slowly made their way upstairs. 

“Woah!” Aoi said, suddenly.

“Huh? What’s up Hina?” Makoto asked, confused.

“Don’t you guys see it?! There’s a pool!” Aoi responded, excitedly.

“And what’re we supposed to do with that information?” Byakuya asked, crossing his arms.

“Ugh! Some of us like to have fun, jerk.” Aoi responded, crossing her arms.

“I think it is interesting,” Sakura added. “At least we have something to occupy ourselves with.”

“Hm, if you are inclined to that, I suppose so…” Celeste muttered. “Some of us would rather stay dry.”

“Still!” Makoto said, “at least we have something to do, right?”

“Huh,” Yasuhiro said. “I didn’t expect a pool!”

“T-that’s because y-you’re not a very good p-psychic…” Toko muttered.

“Hey!” Yasuhiro responded, clearly insulted. “I have a success rate of 30%!”

“Y-yeah well I’d guess that’d be good f-for a s-scammer..!” 

‘Well then let’s explore the pool a little bit.” Makoto said.

The other students and Makoto went into the pool area.

“Puhuhuhu! Welcome to Hope’s Peak Academy Pool.” Monokuma said, as he appeared.

“What’s up with the gun’s by the door…? Are they for hunting g-ghosts?!” Yasuhiro yelled.

“Nonsense! They’re probably for decoration!” Kiyotaka responded.

“Nope! The weapons are 100 percent genuine!” Monokuma said. ”If you try to be a pervert, well, you’ll get more holes in you than swiss cheese!”

“Also, if you try to scan your e-Handbook to open the door of the gender you are not, the door will not open!” Monokuma said.

“S-so what happens w-when two people e-exchange e-Handbooks? How w-would you stop that?” Toko asked.

“Easy! We have a rule against that now…” Monokuma said. “Exchanging your e-Handbook with someone is now illegal! Don’t break that rule if you don’t want to get punished!”

After saying that, Monokuma disappeared, and the bickering began once more.

“Break it up,” Junko said, annoyed. “We still have other rooms to explore.” 

“Couldn’t we check our e-Handbook maps for the other rooms on this floor…?” Chihiro asked, pulling hers out.

“Huh,” Mondo said. “I guess that is fuckin’ smart.”

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “I already thought of that.”

“Well then,” Celeste said, staring straight at Byakuya. “What exactly awaits us on this floor?”

“Hah, you think I would be stupid enough to share information with the likes of you?” Byakuya asked, looking away.

“Huh…?” Makoto asked, staring at Byakuya confused.

“We’re all enemies,” Byakuya explained. “Only one of us can leave this school alive, so what’s the point of sharing information?”

“Still,” Makoto responded, “wouldn’t it be wiser to work together and combine our knowledge? We’re less vulnerable in groups than we are separate.”

“I don’t depend on anyone, Makoto,” Byakuya snapped back, seemingly insulted. “I am a Togami, I need no one other than myself. You’re all a waste of space here.”

“You seemingly forget that we are trapped here together,” Celeste responded coolly. “If the Togamis were so powerful, they would’ve rescued you, no?”

“Ugh,” Byakuya said. “I don’t need rescuing, I’ll win this game myself.”

“Hm,” Kyoko responded, “so you are confessing to a murder you haven’t yet committed? I don’t think that’s a very wise move, Byakuya.”

“All of you…!” Byakuya said as he clenched his fist. “Get out of my sight…!” After saying that, Byakuya went into a room with twin doors.

“Maybe we should follow him…?” Makoto suggested.

“The room he is in is the library if the icon of books is to be believed....” Chihiro responded. “We might get information from the library, so it would be smart to go…”

“Then it is decided!” Kiyotaka yelled. “We shall head to the library!”

Soon, the students made their way into the library. Makoto wasn’t exactly impressed with the library, it certainly wasn’t the largest one he’d seen. And this one looked a little dusty, had it not been used in a long time?

“Why are you all here?” Byakuya asked, voice seething with anger.

“We’re exploring the second floor, remember?” Aoi responded, crossing her arms in a mocking fashion.

“Ugh, don’t waste my time, look around and just leave.”

“Hey… what’s that on the table…?” Chihiro asked, slowly walking to the front desk.

“Is that… a computer…?” Kyoko asked.

“Woah! Access to the outside world?! We’re saved!” Yasuhiro yelled.

“Um… bad news…” Chihiro muttered. “It’s not exactly working right now…”

“Awe, seriously…?!” Yasuhiro said. “Just when I thought we were saved.”

“Chihiro, aren’t you the Ultimate Programmer?” Makoto asked.

“Um… oh…! You’re asking if I could fix it…?” Chihiro asked, frown on her face.

“I mean, it’s in your fuckin’ title, yeah?” Mondo replied before Makoto could.

“In theory, yes… but we don’t know what damage has been done to it…” Chihiro said. “If we could power it on, that’d be a good sign…”

“Well, let us power it on, yes?” Celeste asked, staring at the computer indifferently.

After messing around with the computer, the class was successful in turning it on.

“Woah! Looks like we _are_ saved after all!” Yasuhiro said.

“Uh… I’m sorry… but that isn’t true…” Chihiro said, staring sadly at the computer.

“Explain yourself,” Byakuya replied, crossing his arms.

“There’s no internet connection… it seems the mastermind thought this through… I’m sorry!”

“It’s not your fault, right? You’re not the internet god, are you?” Junko replied, crossing her arms. “If anything, this can just serve as entertainment!”

“E-entertainment…? Y-you mean like porn…?” Toko asked.

“Ugh,” Junko responded, “you are so disgusting.”

“Anyways,” Kyoko said, ignoring Toko and Junko. “Maybe we can use the files on the computer. It is after all branded Hope’s Peak.”

“Oh…! You’re right, there does seem to be some files on here…” Chihiro said. “Although they seem to be corrupted…”

“Corrupted?! Wait… what does that mean…?” Aoi asked.

“They’re getting paid off?! The mastermind can pay off computer files?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “Oh no we’re doomed!”

“Not exactly,” Kyoko said. “How long do you figure it’ll take to uncorrupt these files?”

“I could make a program…” Chihiro muttered, mostly to herself. “But it could take a few days… I’m sorry…!”

“It’s fine,” Kyoko said. “Just try to get it done as soon as possible.”

“Alright…! I promise you I won’t let you down…!” Chihiro said, eyes filling with determination.

“We do not doubt your abilities, Ms. Fujisaki!” Hifumi said, trying to keep the light in Chihiro’s eyes.

“Oh… uhm, thank you…!” Chihiro said, smiling brightly at Hifumi.

“With a smile that cute, I might want to date you, but I’m only into 2D so…!” Hifumi said, puffing out his chest.

“Thanks for sharing,” Junko said. “Anything else you’d like to say, creep?”

“I’m sorry that you’re jealous that someone like me will never date someone like you!” Hifumi shouted.

“Ugh, you…!” Junko said, clenching her fist in annoyance.

“We do not need to fight in a library such as this!” Kiyotaka yelled, interrupting Junko and Hifumi’s soon to be war.

“Taka’s right,” Makoto added. “We need to work together, this computer could very well give us the answers we need!”

“Or it could just be nothing,” Byakuya added.

“It’s best to look at the positives, no?” Celeste responded. “Some of us do not have people constantly attending to our every need…”

“I agree! We should use this computer as a symbol! Something to look forward to!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“Look forward too? For all, we know this computer could just be fuckin’ porn!” Mondo said.

“I-in a school environment images of that nature wouldn’t be very appropriate…!” Kiyotaka replied, face turning a tomato shade of red.

“In a school environment murder isn’t exactly good either, but look where we fucking are!”

“There’s no use fighting over the computer,” Kyoko said. “But Taka is right. It’s better for us to view it as something hopeful than to think it is just junk.”

“I think it might be useful to us anyways,” Hifumi said. “For all we know a bunch of 2D girls could be there, just waiting for us…!” After saying that, Hifumi began drooling immensely.

“Or,” Junko said, “there could be a bunch of restraining orders all dedicated to you, creep!”

Before Hifumi could respond, Byakuya cleared his throat.

“Is there anything else all you plebeians need or can I have the library to myself now?”

“Well, actually…” Makoto muttered, “there is the other door in here.”

“Huh? What other door? Makoto, are you feeling alright?” Yasuhiro asked.

“You know, the door right near the monitor…?” Makoto responded, staring at Yasuhiro worriedly.

“Oh! That door…” Yasuhiro muttered, “Aha, I was just messing with you. Of course, I knew that door was there!”

“What could be in there…?” Aoi asked. “More books…?”

“Maybe that’s where they store the manga!” Hifumi added excitedly.

“M-manga…? Don’t be childish, t-this is a library, they only s-store real literature in here…” Toko stuttered out.

“‘Real’ literature…? I’ll have you-” Hifumi began but was interrupted by Byakuya.

“That’s the archive,” Byakuya explained tersely. “I don’t think I have to explain an archive to you plebeians.”

“An archive of what exactly?” Makoto asked.

“Anything really,” Byakuya answered. “I of course already know most of the things archived in there.”

“W-well, I d-don’t think we’ll get a-anything out of it…” Toko said.

“Maybe it has archived information about the school,” Sakura responded, “in that case, it would be in our best interest to look into it.”

“B-but, if B-byakuya has already looked into it, I-I’m sure t-there’s nothing of i-importance in there,” Toko said, looking at Byakuya longingly.

“The stuttering one is correct,” Byakuya responded. “I already looked under everything labeled Hope’s Peak, there wasn’t anything that stood out.”

“Well, maybe your eyes are broken!” Aoi shouted. “Because this whole killing game thing is not normal…!”

“Shut up,” Byakuya said. “Nothing in the files indicates that a killing game was the original plan.”

“Was there anything at all to suggest something malicious?” Celeste asked.

“There was one interesting thing,” Byakuya admitted. “But I don’t see why I have to share it with any of you.”

“It would be in your interest,” Kyoko said. “After all, having information others may want puts a target on your back.”

“Tch,” Byakuya replied, crossing his arms. “Like I have anything to fear from the likes of you.”

“Hm,” Kyoko responded. “Maybe so, but you cannot guard yourself against multiple individuals all seeking information.”

“Fine,” Byakuya said. “Here, it’s a notice.”

Byakuya handed the paper to Kyoko, who read it before passing it to the other members of the class.

“Notice of closure…?” Chihiro asked, staring at the paper.

“How come we never heard of that?” Makoto added.

“Maybe they were keeping it secret…?” Yasuhiro replied, scratching his head in confusion.

“That doesn’t make any sense…! Any respectable school should notify it’s incoming students about any closure!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“Fuck man, no need to take it personally,” Mondo said, crossing his arms.

“Hm,” Celeste said, “so something did happen, yes?”

“T-that seems to be the c-case…” Toko replied.

“What could cause a school like Hope’s Peak Academy to close…?” Aoi asked. “I mean, it’s a really big school, right?”

“The same thing that could cause a killing game,” Junko replied. “But we don’t know what the hell that even is…!”

“Something horrible,” Hifumi added. “Like canceling Princess Piggles…!”

“P-princess Piggles…? I-is that a k-kid’s show…?” Toko asked, crossing her arms.

“No…! It’s only the best anime in the world…!” Hifumi said, defending his prized TV show.

“Pretty sure that’s still a kids show.” Junko responded.

“Anyways,” Celeste said, crossing her arms, “until we can figure out what is on the computer, I suggest we shouldn’t entertain ourselves with mindless conjecture.”

“I suppose Celeste is right,” Kyoko said. “There is no use fighting between ourselves now that we finally have hope.”

“Finally have hope? This is just a fuckin’ computer!” Mondo complained.

“It’s not just a computer,” Kyoko countered cooly, “it’s our first piece of outside information. I don’t believe the mastermind is careless, but they want us to at least have a fair shot.”

“How can you be so sure of that?” Junko asked, staring at her nails.

“They’ve made the game fair, or at least as close as it could get. Class trials exist so the non-blackened at least have a shot of surviving another trial. Accomplices are useless, since there is no achievement for working together.”

“So, you’re saying… they’re trying to bring hope into us…?” Makoto asked, trying to figure out what Kyoko actually meant.

“Perhaps,” Kyoko replied dryly, “after all, you must have hope to succumb to despair.”

“D-despair…? W-where’d you get that from…?” Toko asked, staring at Kyoko as she started to bite her nails.

“When Monokuma first introduced himself, he claimed that he loved to see our faces full of despair. It is only a natural conclusion that he’d give us some sort of hope only to take it away.” Kyoko said, looking away from the computer.

“So,” Celeste said, “you are saying that we’re only given this computer so that it could only lead to our despair?”

“No,” Kyoko said, looking Celeste in the eyes. “I believe the computer has information we need to inspire us, but the catch is that Chihiro would need to be alive in order to extract that information.”

“So you’re saying that the mastermind creates ‘holes’ in their plan, but only if certain people survive…?” Junko asked.

“Perhaps,” Kyoko said, closing her eyes. “This is all just a theory, afterall.”

“Seems like a pretty fleshed out theory,” Aoi added. “You must’ve thought this out a lot, huh…?”

“No,” Kyoko said. “It only seemed to be the natural conclusion, like I said.”

“Huh,” Makoto said dumbly. “I don’t think any of us could’ve put that together on our own! You’re a real genius Kyoko!”

“Huh…?” Kyoko asked, “what an odd thing to say.”

“Is it really…? I was only saying how I felt…” Makoto said. 

“He’s right, Kyoko! That was a genius conclusion!” Kiyotaka added.

“If you’re both so sure,” Kyoko responded, face coloring for only a short moment.

“If you’re all done here,” Byakuya cut in. “Can you please leave me and the library in peace…?!”

The class stared at Byakuya for a moment. His annoyance was quite clear as he clenched his fist.

“Ah, we should probably get out Byakuya’s hair…” Makoto laughed sheepishly, trying to ignore the murderous look on Byakuya’s face.

“Funny,” Byakuya responded. “That’s the first smart thing you’ve said all killing game.”

The class, excluding Byakuya, slowly shuffled out of the library. The air was thick with tension. 

Byakuya had a knack for ruining the mood.

“Huh,” Aoi said, crossing her arms.

“What’s wrong Hina?” Makoto asked.

“That guy, he thinks he can just walk all over us just because he’s Byakuya Togami or whatever…”

“I mean, it’s not really his fault…” Makoto added, crossing his arms.

“Huh? What do you mean Makoto?” Aoi asked, staring at Makoto intently. “Last time I checked no one was forcing him to do anything.”

“I mean, he’s had a different upbringing then the rest of us.” Makoto said, touching his face as he tried to think of a way to explain his thinking to Aoi. “He’s a different breed of people, and because of that he doesn’t know how to exactly interact with us…”

“Hm,” Aoi responded, “that may be true, but it doesn’t give him the right to boss us around like that!”

“Maybe,” Makoto agreed, “but I think everyone in this school is a little extra…”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?!” Aoi yelled, suddenly insulted.

“I didn’t mean it as a bad thing…!” Makoto responded, caught completely off guard. “It’s just, you ultimates are a lot different than normal people.”

“You mean, we’re as bad as Byakuya…?” Aoi asked, confused.

“No,” Makoto responded quickly, “just a lot harder to understand than other ‘normal’ people.”

“Hm,” Aoi said, “I mean, I guess… but I don’t think we’re in a ‘normal’ situation, if that note in the library is true…”

Makoto nodded, he supposed that his classmates were under a very specific strain of stress. He had no way to discern their true personalities whilst they were trapped in the killing game.

“So… Makoto…” Aoi said suddenly.

“Yeah?”

“You wanna hang? I mean we’re done exploring, right…?” Aoi asked.

“Huh…? Sure!” Makoto responded excitedly.

“All this exploring has totally gotten me fired up, if you know what I mean!” Aoi said suddenly.

“Huh…? What do you mean, Hina?” Makoto asked, staring at Aoi confused.

“What do I mean?! It means I need to get all this pent up energy out!” Aoi yelled, causing Makoto to flinch slightly. “Let’s race, Makoto!”

“I don’t think I could win a race against you, Hina…” Makoto replied sheepishly. “I wouldn’t have much of a chance.”

“Huh… I guess you’re right…” Aoi admitted, “Well I’ll just run by myself and you can watch!”

“Wait!” Makoto yelled, “I mean... uh, you always seem so pumped up Hina…”

“Huh…?! Is that supposed to be an insult, Makoto?!”

“N-no of course not!” Makoto said, putting his hands in front of him as a defensive position. “I’m just impressed, that’s all.”

“Really?” Aoi asked, crossing her arms. “I mean I used to know this one guy, who was always telling me ‘Hina, you’re like, a super spaz!’” 

“A super spaz…? What did he mean by that…?”

“I dunno, like he’d always see me wearing shorts in the winter and he’d just say things like that…”

“You wore shorts in the winter?!” Makoto asked, shocked.

“Yeah, if you lose to the cold it just means you weren’t dedicated enough!”

“Wow, you did that without getting sick…?”

“Getting sick is for the weak! If you’re truly dedicated all winter outfits should be lighter than normal! It’s part of your training, y’know…?”

“T-training…?”

“Uh, you aren’t the type of guy who gets sick easily, are you…?”

“Actually, I am…”

“See! You need more training!”

“What do you mean…?”

“I’ve got the perfect remedy to keep you healthy no matter what the weather…!”

“Perfect remedy…?” Makoto echoed uselessly.

“I do this myself every morning! You just strip down to your waist, then take a dry towel and start rubbing down your bare skin…! I called it… um… uh…”

“Is it towel treatment or something similar?” Makoto offered.

“Oh my god! Makoto, that’s it!” Aoi said, happily. “I love going out on my apartment balcony, stripping down, just feeling the wind on my skin… I never miss a morning!”

“You do that on your balcony…?!”

“Yep! Makoto, you should give it a try! If you haven’t got your health, you haven’t got anything! I’d hate to see you catch a cold or something…”

“Thanks, Hina…” Makoto said.

“Huh… it’s been a while already, hasn’t it?” Aoi asked.

“I guess time flies when you’re having fun, right…?”

“Mhm! Well, we should get together sometime again. I’d like to see progress on your training, Makoto!”

“M-my training…? You’re going to become my personal trainer…?!”

“Uh, is that the word…? I mean, I guess…”

“B-but personal trainers are supposed to get paid…! I really can’t take up your time if I don’t have anything to offer you…!” Makoto said, trying to get out of training with Aoi.

“Hm, payment, right…?” Aoi said, putting her finger on her chin and closing her eyes. “Well, you can pay me with something…”

“H-huh…?!”

“You mentioned that the ‘ultimates’ don’t act normal… right…?”

“Well like I said, I didn’t mean it in a bad way…”

“Still, maybe you could teach me how to act normal in return for me training you.”

“Hina, I really didn’t-”

“It’s a deal, Makoto! Tomorrow we’ll meet up here and we’ll get you into tip-top shape in no time! I promise!”

“H-huh… Hina w-wait…!” Makoto yelled, but it was too late, Aoi was already walking away, not paying attention to Makoto’s refusals.

Makoto sighed, well at least he would become closer to Aoi if anything was to come out of this. 

Aoi was right, it was late. How long was their conversation? He had to get to the dinner hall before it closed, he didn’t want to starve after all.

Making his way downstairs to the cafeteria, he could already hear a commotion.

“Ugh, will you fuckin’ shut up about the damn school rules already?!” Mondo yelled, and as Makoto got closer he could see Mondo’s opponent in this fight was none other than Kiyotaka Ishimaru.

“The school rules are everything! If we have nothing else, then let it be our ability to be good students.”

“Good students?! Are you out of your fuckin’ mind or something? Did you forget about Sayaka killing Leon?! Or is that part of your ‘studently behavior’ or whatever…?!”

“I doubt you mind! You’re a delinquent, I’m sure you murder people all the time…!” Kiyotaka yelled, tears already springing in his eyes.

“Are you accusin’ me of fuckin’ murderer?! You’re a glorified hall monitor, what right do you have?!”

“Excuse you…! I’m the Ultimate Moral Compass, I’m sorry you can’t be held to the same standards as everyone else! Last time I checked, I’m not punching our classmates!”

“It was one fuckin’ time…! You can’t act like you're any better than us!”

“I don’t have to ‘act’ like I’m any better than you, you have no respect for the rules and therefore deserve no respect!”

“Will you two shut up?!” Byakuya interrupted, glaring at the two with murder in his eyes.

“What gives you the right to interrupt us?!” Both Mondo and Kiyotaka yelled at the same time.

“At least they agreed on something, no?” Celeste teased, taking a sip from her milk tea.

“I don’t think this fight is very school appropriate, now, is it?” Junko added, crossing her arms.

“Huh…?!” Kiyotaka yelled, as his face started to flush. “You’re right! I am very sorry, I shouldn’t be setting a negative example for the rest of you! I hope I can be forgiven for my transgressions!”

“Whipped.” Mondo snorted under his breath, which went unnoticed by Kiyotaka who was now yelling apologies.

“I think you can be forgiven, Taka…” Makoto said, “I mean, it wasn’t like you did anything _bad_ …”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Makoto…! I need to be the best example for the class, I will not let any of us fall to the fate of Sayaka and Leon!” Kiyotaka replied. Makoto flinched slightly at the mention of Sayaka and Leon. He still hadn’t exactly accepted it.

“I’m sure you will,” Makoto replied half heartedly. It still hurt to think about the two of them, what-ifs floated around in his head. He didn’t have the bravery of any of the other students. He couldn’t have stopped Sayaka because he believed in her too much.

And because of him, both Sayaka and Leon had died. Painfully.

“Makoto? Are you alright?” Aoi asked, scaring Makoto out of his train of thought.

“Huh…? Yeah, I’m alright. Just a little tired, I guess.”

“Did you not get enough sleep last night?” Aoi asked, worriedly.

“Makoto! Sleep is very important for growing boys like you!” Kiyotaka added loudly.

“I’m fine,” Makoto repeated, “and Taka, we’re the same age…”

“Well, as long as you’re saying you’re getting sleep, we’ll believe you.” Aoi said, smiling at Makoto. Makoto appreciated the gesture behind Aoi’s words, but smiling back at Aoi just hurt.

He could’ve saved Sayaka and Leon if he tried, he thought. Even if he couldn’t, he could at least delude himself into thinking it was a possibility. He resolved to try harder, even as he went back to his room and stared at Sayaka’s nameplate for longer than needed.

He tried to shower, before the night time announcement and barely made it to the door. He saw Leon’s dead eyes staring back at him, open unlike how they were closed before.

“Because of you,” Leon’s voice accuses, “I’m dead.” Before Leon’s ghost can say anything more, Makoto slammed the door. He leaned against the door of the bathroom and closed his eyes. 

He told himself he wasn’t crying.

But, in that case, he was just as much of a liar as Sayaka was.

When Makoto woke up, he was still on the floor. Monokuma’s grating morning announcement rang in his ears. He was exhausted, he knew this.

He needed to shower, he resented this.

As if on autopilot he grabbed clothing from his drawer and left his room. He made his way to Aoi’s door and knocked on it emotionlessly.

Aoi answered the door, confused.

“I need to use your shower,” Makoto said simply. Aoi stared at him for a moment, before moving slightly.

“Alright,” Aoi says, “just like, don’t tell Taka. He’ll make it weird, I think…”

Makoto nodded, his head felt heavy. 

Aoi’s shower was almost identical to his, all hers was lacking was the dead body. Makoto tried not to think about that.

He finished the shower quickly, he felt bad taking Aoi’s shower.

“Sorry,” he said, mustering all the emotion he could manage. He hoped he was coming off sheepishly, if he wasn’t, Aoi didn’t say anything.

“Huh…? Did you waste all my hot water or something?!” Aoi accused.

“N-no…! Of course not! I mean for coming to your room so early.”

“Huh, is that weird?”

“Of course it is…!”

“Well, then maybe you can’t teach me how to act normal then, huh…?”

“About that…” Makoto began but Aoi cut him off with a laugh.

“We can talk about my payment later, we have to get to the morning meeting. I don’t want to get yelled at by Taka.” Aoi said quickly before running out of her room, leaving Makoto standing dumbfounded.

“Alright…” he muttered to no one but himself, as he slowly followed Aoi to the cafeteria.

“Aoi, Makoto!” Kiyotaka yelled as Makoto entered the room. “Why are you two so late…?!”

“Sorry…” was all Makoto could muster.

“Makoto’s hot water broke, so he had to use my shower… no need to get all serious, Taka…” Aoi said, crossing her arms.

“You showered in her room?!” Kiyotaka yelled, scandalized.

“Hey! Don’t accuse either of us of being creeps! I didn’t watch or anything!” Aoi yelled, uncrossing her arms and putting them up near her jacket.

“Ugh… it’s just unwholesome…!”

“Taka, like Hina said, I just asked to use her shower. My hot water wasn’t working and I didn’t want to come to the morning meeting unclean, I feel like that would be worse…” Makoto added, staring at the food he had in front of him.

“Hm, very well! As long as you two keep it school appropriate and don’t make a habit of coming late, I do not mind!”

“Thanks…?” Makoto replied, confused.

“Anyways…! Let us commence with the morning meeting!” 

“It’s not like we have any new information to share,” Byakuya said looking away. “Honestly, why do I bother with this?” 

“If you don’t want to come, then don’t, no?” Celeste responded, once again sipping milk tea.

“It’s just useless, even idiots like you should be able to see that.” Byakuya said, crossing his arms.

“I disagree! As students-” Kiyotaka began but was interrupted by Mondo.

“It’s our duty or whatever, who the fuck cares, let’s just get this meeting over with.”

“Well, um, did we discover anything?” Aoi asked.

“Not since the library, no,” Kyoko said simply, looking at her food, bored.

“Speaking of the library,” Sakura interjected, “Chihiro have you gotten any information out of the computer?”

“N-no…! I’m sorry, the computer is probably gonna take another day or so…” Chihiro responded quickly.

“Hm,” Junko said, “as long as you’re not using it to look up porn, we can wait.”

“U-um…”

“Miss Fujisaki would never do anything like that!” Hifumi said, defending Chihiro before she could get a word in edgewise.

“Is there anything else we can talk about?” Aoi asked, “I mean, some of us have things we want to do.”

“Like what? You’re not planning on killing anyone are you, Hina?!” Yasuhiro accused.

“No…! I’m just gonna hang out with Makoto, that’s all.”

“Hina, you are hanging out with Makoto again?!” Kiyotaka yelled, switching between staring at Aoi and Makoto, completely scandalized.

“Huh, yeah…? Is there something wrong with that?” Aoi asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“If you’re in a relationship it’s best for you two to just state it now!” Kiyotaka said, eyes filling with tears.

“Uh, it’s not like that, Taka…” Makoto mumbled, “we’re just going to train together.”

“Oh! Ahaha, of course…!” Kiyotaka replied, “neither of you would ever do something so unwholesome...”

“Anyways…” Junko said, flipping her hair out of her eyes, “I think that’s all the information we’ve got, huh?”

“But we didn’t say anything new…?” Yasuhiro asked.

“That’s the point idiot. We don’t have any new information.”

“I’m assuming these meetings will be pointless until next murder, correct?” Byakuya cut in.

“In all likelihood, yes.” Kyoko answered before Kiyotaka could.

“In that case, there is no need for me to continue to come.” Byakuya said plainly.

“But the bonding! You cannot just-” Kiyotaka began to interject.

“I don’t care,” Byakuya said as he got up to walk away. “There is no point in conversing with people who are soon to be dead, anyway.”

“Did he just leave?!” Aoi yelled, crossing her arms.

“Hm,” Kyoko said, “I suppose there is no use in talking to him, then.”

“Perhaps he knows something we do not,” Celeste said. “We do not know what he has read in that library. Has he found something that would give him an advantage?”

“I doubt it,” Makoto replied. “If anything, I think he would taunt us about it.”

“Y-you think he would w-waste his time t-taunting the likes of you?” Toko asked, suddenly insulted.

“Well yeah…” Makoto replied. “He hasn’t shown any reason for us not to believe that, if we’re being honest…”

“Y-you would be so lucky if that w-were to happen…!” Toko said, looking away.

“Huh? Why would he be lucky…?” Aoi asked, tilting her head slightly.

“B-Byakuya would never waste his t-time on the l-likes of y-you all…” Toko sniffled, looking away from the group as if disgusted.

“Hey! Is that supposed to be an insult?!” Aoi yelled, “It’s not like you’re anything different from us anyways!”

“Why is Toko’s comment bothering you so much, Hina?” Celeste asked, taking a sip of her tea.

“Huh…? You mean you aren’t bothered at all?”

“I don’t feel the need to be, if they don’t want to survive with us, it is important for us to not care about them…” Celeste said, looking away with a sigh. “It is best not to get attached to them, because surely they will die at the rates they are going.”

“H-huh, d-die…?!” Toko said, looking back at the group. “Y-you think s-someone as w-wonderful as B-Byakuya could just d-die…?!”

“It seems to be an eventuality at this point,” Celeste said, smiling morbidly. “After all, this game is based on alliances, no? Surely, making an enemy out of everyone isn’t the smartest thing to do.”

“B-but…!” Toko replied, preparing to go on a tangent before Kyoko cut her off.

“It doesn’t matter,” Kyoko said. “As long as we agree not to hurt anyone, Byakuya shouldn’t come to any harm.”

“Yeah, Kyoko’s right! Let’s all agree to get out of this killing game alive and well!” Aoi yelled, putting both her fists in the air.

“With that attitude…” Junko began, “fuck yeah, let’s do that!”

“I usually don’t agree with cursing but… if we can all agree to following the school rules, I agree with Hina’s sentiment!” Kiyotaka said.

With that the group’s mood brightened, even after Byakuya’s sour department.

After the meeting ended Aoi walked up to Makoto.

“So, you wanna hang now?” Aoi asked, smiling widely.

“Uh, about that… I’m not so sure I want to train with you…” Makoto answered sheepishly.

“Hey! Are you letting Taka’s comments about us get to your head?” Aoi accused, glaring at Makoto.

“No, it’s not that…! I’ve just been feeling down lately, so I don’t know if I’d be that good to train.” Makoto explained.

“Hm, well then we could just hang out?” Aoi offered. “I mean, that’s all I really wanted to do anyways.”

“Huh…? You just wanted to hang out?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah! Is that so surprising?!” Aoi puffed out.

“No, I guess not.. I’ve just not been feeling like myself, after Sayaka and Leon…”

“So, do y’wanna talk about it?” Aoi asked.

“Yeah, but can we take it somewhere a bit more private?”

“Oh yeah, sure!” Aoi said, leading Makoto upstairs.

The two split off to go into the changing rooms before meeting back up in the pool.

“So, do you want to talk about it or…?”

“I don’t know where to begin,” Makoto admitted. “I trusted Sayaka, I mean who wouldn’t…?”

“Isn’t it kinda scary…? I mean who would’ve seen it coming?!” Aoi added. “She had us all fooled I guess…”

“Maybe,” Makoto admitted, “but I refuse to believe it could be just that… it just didn’t seem like the Sayaka I knew…”

“Huh…? You knew Sayaka…?”

“Kinda, haha… we knew each other from middle school.” Makoto explained. “I always had a crush on her, so I was really excited to see her again.”

“Could you have been blinded by love…? That’s a thing that happens, right?”

“I don’t think so,” Makoto said, “or at least I hope not…?”

“Well then spill!” Aoi said, trying to egg him on.

“When she got her motive video… I think it changed her.” Makoto said, remembering Sayaka’s vacant expression. “It was like something inside of her snapped, and not for the better.”

“Well,” Aoi said, “it’s not like you could’ve done anything to stop her.”

“Maybe if I noticed… maybe I would’ve been able to save Sayaka and Leon…” 

“You can’t blame yourself for the actions of other people!” Aoi scolded. “You’re not the Ultimate Clairvoyant like Hiro is! And the fact that you feel bad is a good thing!”

“Huh… what do you mean Hina?”

“You really cared about them, despite the fact that you don’t need to. I think that might be a good thing…”

“Is that really such an odd thing…?”

“Yep! And they said I was the super spaz! Well I’m glad to tell you Makoto, that title is yours now!”

“Hey!” 

After talking for a few more minutes, Aoi decided to do some laps in the pool. Makoto watched wordlessly, becoming nauseous at how fast Aoi was going.

“You… definitely earned your title…” Makoto commented, face a bit too green.

“Yep! Hey… wait… Makoto, your face is looking a bit-”

“I’ll be fine, just remind me never to watch that again, alright…?”

“Huh… why?”

“I just have a weak stomach, that’s all.”

“Hm, alright then!”

After getting changed into their regular clothes Makoto and Aoi parted ways, promising to meet up again later.

“Hm,” Makoto remarked mostly to himself, “I wonder what I can do now....”

“Makoto, are you busy?” A voice yelled from behind him, Makoto turned around and saw none other than Kiyotaka Ishimaru.

“Huh…? No I’m not really busy. Why, do you want to hang out?” Makoto asked.

“Haha, of course!” Kiyotaka answered. “That’s what friends do, right?”

“Yeah, let’s just hang out, then,” Makoto said. 

“So Makoto! As long as we’re talking, let’s REALLY talk.”

“Huh…? Yeah sure, that’s fine.” Makoto answered.

“Excellent!” Kiyotaka said. “Then let’s get down to where we stand on the important issues! Where are we starting, politics, the economy or international affairs?!”

“Wait… you’re not serious are you…?” Makoto asked.

“Of course I am! This isn’t a joking matter!”

“Can’t we just have a regular conversation…? That’s the best way to learn about people, I think.”

“‘Normal conversation’...? What do you mean?”

“Well, what do you do in your free time?” 

“Study, of course! I’m a student, afterall.” Kiyotaka began. “A student must be a studying professional!”

“Do you do anything other than study…?”

“Of course!” Kiyotaka answered. “My duties as the chairperson of the morals committee keep me quite busy!”

“Um…” Makoto said, trailing off. “What do you do when you have free time…?”

“If I have time to kill, I study!”

“Oh…. I see…?”

“Haha! This is fun!” Kiyotaka said, suddenly. “Alright my turn! Makoto, what do you like to do in your free time?

“Well, normal things…” Makoto said. “You know, watch TV, play video games…”

“Huh?!” Kiyotaka yelled, “And this is helping you study…?”

“N-no...?” Makoto said. “It’s not about studying, it’s more about having fun.”

“But doing things ‘just for fun’ serves no purpose!” Kiyotaka yelled. “There’s got to be more merit in it!”

“You’re right!” Makoto quickly exclaimed, surprised at his own volume. “Having fun helps give you something to talk about to other people!”

“Something to talk about…?”

“Like when you see something awesome on TV, or some awesome game, and you want to share it with someone.” Makoto explained. “You’ll find other people who feel the same and that’s how you make friends!”

“Wh…?” Kiyotaka began. “Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh—!?”

“Taka…?” Makoto asked. “Are you okay…?”

“I was blind, but now I see!”

“H-huh…? What the heck?!”

“That kind of thing has plagued me for years,” Kiyotaka began to explain while crying. “I’ve tried making friends, but it would die out once I attempted to make conversation… But now I finally have my answer!”

“Your answer…?”

“I need to study more games! More TV shows!”

“N-no, you don’t exactly ‘study’ them...” Makoto attempted to explain but it fell on deaf ears.

“I’m so ashamed of myself! If there was a hole around here, I’d totally go and hide in it! I never realized the blind spot of my studies…!”

“Taka it’s-”

“I’m a complete embarrassment! I’m not qualified to be on the morals committee, let alone lead it!”

“I don’t think it’s really that big of a deal, Taka.”

“Thank you, Professor Makoto!”

“Huh…?! P-professor?!”

“You’ve taught me a most valuable lesson! You’ve earned my respect and the title of professor!”

“Taka, this is making things super awkward…!”

“Haha! There’s no need to be modest, Professor!” Kiyotaka said, smiling. “I can’t wait for your next lesson!”

“I don’t think you need-”

“Until then, I will strive to learn as much as I can on my own!” Kiyotaka continued, giving Makoto no time to interrupt. “Well then, Professor, I’ll see you soon!”

Kiyotaka ran off before Makoto could attempt to speak again. 

“Well, I guess the title of professor isn’t too bad…” Makoto said to himself.

Makoto decided it was time to get some dinner before the cafeteria closed, he didn’t want to go to sleep on an empty stomach.

Makoto heard Mondo and Kiyotaka before he saw them, they were fighting, once again.

They noticed Makoto, and Mondo was the first one to speak.

“C’mon, Makoto. You’ve got to be our witness!” Mondo said, glaring at Makoto.

“Huh.. your ‘witness’...? What does that mean?”

“This guy’s been talkin’ shit about me since we first got here. Callin’ me a coward and other shit.” Mondo said, as if that helped explain at all.

“You **are** a coward!” Kiyotaka interrupted. “You turn to violence to solve your problems, making you a coward!” 

“Wha-?!” Mondo yelled, but Kiyotaka was beginning a tirade.

“You can’t do what society asks of you!” Kiyotaka yelled, pointing at Mondo. “That’s why you walk around dressed like that!”

“The fuck did you just say?” Mondo asked. “You dunno shit about me.”

“You’ve already lost to yourself, but you’re such a coward you can’t even realize it!”

“So you’re sayin’ you’re **not** a coward?” Mondo asked. “You think you’re tougher than me? Is that it?!”

“I **know** that I am a coward!” Kiyotaka admitted, loudly. “At least I can admit that, unlike you.”

“Okay, then let’s throw down!” Mondo said, balling his hands into fists. “Prove that you’ve got somethin’ that I don’t got!”

“I accept your challenge!” Kiyotaka declared.

“So Makoto, that’s what’s goin’ down.” Mondo said. “You’ve got to be our witness!”

“You’re gonna… ‘throw down’...?” Makoto asked, worriedly. “You’re not going to like, start punching each other, right…?”

“There’s a bathhouse on the 1st floor of the dorm, right?” Mondo asked.

“Yeah…?” Makoto replied, not really getting Mondo’s point.

“It has a sauna inside? Right?” Mondo asked, once again.

“Ah, so I see.” Kiyotaka said. “You want to have a simple endurance contest?”

“An ‘endurance contest’... in the sauna…?” Makoto asked.

“We’re going to see who can stay in the sauna the longest, right?!” Kiyotaka yelled, ignoring Makoto.

“Goddamn straight!” Mondo yelled.

“Are you sure that’s safe…?” Makoto asked, staring at his two classmates as if they had gone insane.

“Of course!” Kiyotaka replied. “This coward will back out before it gets too dangerous for us!”

“You think I’m going to back out first?! Are you fuckin’ insane?!” Mondo yelled.

“Hey… guys, let’s get to the sauna first, alright?” Makoto said, trying to calm the feud. 

Makoto led Mondo and Kiyotaka into the sauna where they started going at each other again.

“Are you guys really going to go through with this…?” Makoto asked.

“Of course!” Kiyotaka yelled. “I have to show this coward his place.”

“As if,” Mondo replied. “I’m gonna show you that I’m fuckin’ better!”

“People like you are all talk!”

“Like you’re any better…!”

Kiyotaka began to undress but Mondo stayed in his outfit.

“Aren’t you going to undress…?” Makoto asked.

“Nah,” Mondo said. “I don’t need to.”

“Th-that’s idiotic!” Kiyotaka yelled out.

“Just shut up already, let’s get this fuckin’ over with!” Mondo yelled.

The two clamored into the sauna, they both held determined expressions on their faces.

“You know,” Kiyotaka said. “You can take off your clothes.”

“Unlike you, I don’t need to do that.”

A short pause before Mondo decided to say something to Kiyotaka.

“Y’know, your face is lookin’ pretty red,” Mondo said. “Are you sure you don’t want to give up?”

“It just so happens...I was born with a red face…!”

Makoto waited outside, mostly bored, as the two held steadfast against each other.

After hearing the night time announcement Makoto decided that he was done “witnessing” their contest. He didn’t even get his chance to eat, he might as well sleep until morning.

Makoto awoke drearily to Monokuma’s Morning announcement. His stomach ached with the promise of eating, but Makoto wanted to shower to first.

Makoto took one look at his bathroom door, the room seemed daunting, but Makoto was determined to shower quickly and eat.

He slowly opened his bathroom door, half expecting to see Leon’s body staring right back at him.

There was nothing dead in Makoto’s bathroom, thankfully.

Makoto made his way to the cafeteria in relatively good spirits.

“Hey Makoto,” Aoi said, stopping Makoto before he could go into the cafeteria.

“Huh…?” Makoto asked.

“I wouldn’t recommend going in there right now,” Aoi said. “Taka and Mondo are acting pretty weird in there.”

“Acting weird…?”

“Yeah! All buddy-buddy!” Aoi explained. “One moment they hate each other and the next moment they’re besties!”

“Is that a bad thing…?” Makoto asked.

“No,” Aoi admitted. “But I just find it really weird, y’know…?”

“I wonder if it has something to do with last night…” Makoto said, 

“Huh, last night…?”

“Are you two just going to just stand in front of the cafeteria or are you going to go in?” Junko interrupted. “I mean I approve of gossip and whatever, but some of us want to eat.”

Makoto and Aoi moved out of the way and Junko smiled at them before going in.

“I guess we should eat now, huh…?” Makoto said.

“Yeah, but let’s keep our guard up,” Aoi said. “We have no clue what happened to them!”

Makoto and Aoi went into the cafeteria, and Makoto saw that Aoi wasn’t wrong at all.

“Hahaha! Bro, you’re so right!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“Ah, you don’t really mean that…” Mondo replied, sounding bashful.

 _Aoi was right_ , Makoto thought to himself. _What had happened to Taka and Mondo…?_

“Makoto!” Kiyotaka yelled suddenly. “Where did you go last night?!”

“Huh…?” Makoto began. “Oh, I heard the night time announcement and didn’t want to stay up too late…”

“Well, thanks for being our witness anyway.” Mondo responded.

“Ugh,” Junko said. “Kinda wish I didn’t come here at all.”

“What?!” Mondo yelled. “Do you have a fuckin’ problem with our friendship?!”

“Yeah,” Aoi said, speaking for Junko. “It feels gross.”

“Feels _gross_?! Hell no, it feels great!”

“Forget them, bro. Girls like them just wouldn’t get our manly bond!”

“M-manly b-bond…?” Toko asked. “S-seems like another w-way to say r-relationship… You a-aren’t l-lovers, are you?!”

“No…!” Kiyotaka yelled. “Friendship between men is stronger than blood! A woman could never understand!” 

“Bro,” Mondo said. “What you said was cool as shit!”

“I’m glad you think so, bro!”

As the rest of the class came into the cafeteria except for Byakuya, it was quite clear that Mondo and Kiyotaka’s friendship wasn’t going to get any less public.

As Makoto went to leave the cafeteria he was stopped by Junko.

“Hey, Makoto,” Junko began. “Do y’wanna hang?”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “As long as we can keep away from Mondo and Taka…”

“Yeah sure,” Junko said. “But why, are you jealous of them or something…?”

“No!” Makoto said quickly. “But I have to agree with Aoi, their friendship just feels a bit _wrong_ …”

“‘Wrong’...?” Junko echoed. “Oh my god, Makoto, I think you’re totally jealous!”

“Huh…?!”

“But listen, just because I’m offering you an out of your jealousy doesn’t mean I want you to get the wrong idea about any of this.”

“Wrong idea…? Now I’m sure I’ve got no clue what you mean…”

“I **mean** I hope you’re not expecting anything from me,” Junko explained. “Gotta keep my virtue safe, ya get?”

“Wait…!” Makoto yelled. “N-no way am I expecting anything like that!”

“I figured. You’re totally not that kind of guy, right?” Junko said. “Yeah, you’ve got that total ‘omega male’ vibe going on.”

“Huh…? ‘Omega male’ vibe…?”

“Yeah, but still, y’know I gotta keep my guard up,” Junko said. “The tamest guy can turn into a wild animal or so they say.”

“Don’t ask me why,” Junko said. “But I just seem to attract guys like that.”

“Um… it might have something to do with the way you dress.”

“Yeah, but even still! They have no respect!” Junko complained. “They call me up super super super late and are all like ‘Hey, let’s hang!’. Like I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean!”

“Oh! You just meant hanging out.” Makoto said.

“Huh? Did you just come to a decision or something…?”

“Oh, haha… no, just uh forget it.”

“Anyways, so we all get together, but they’re all fucking dumbasses!” Junko said. “Keeping creepos like that away is like a full-time job, ya know?”

“Yeah, must be really tough.” Makoto replied. “I mean, you’re a model, so you must be really popular.”

“Wow, Makoto. You… actually get it.” Junko said. “You **do** get it, right? You totally get me!”

“Huh… I do…?”

“So listen, about your Taka problem, I can introduce you to some of my friends sometime!”

“My Taka… problem…?”

“So judging by you picking Taka you’re into someone aggressive…” Junko said, thinking for a moment. “Yeah, I think I know someone who’s perfect for you!”

“N-no really it’s-”

“I’ll set you up with the perfect girl as soon as we get outta here!” Junko said with a smile. “Ehehe! I hope you’re as excited as I am!”

After saying that, Junko skipped off as Makoto could only watch in confusion.

 _Huh, guess there’s more to look forward to once we get out_. Makoto thought to himself.

Makoto decided to head to his room, but before he could unlock the door he could hear Monokuma’s loud ahem.

“Attention students! I have a surprise waiting for you all in the gym!” Monokuma said. “I hope you all will find this surprise enlightening!”

 _A surprise_ , Makoto thought to himself. _This isn’t going to be good, is it…?_

Makoto went to the gym, like usual he was later than all his other classmates.

“Puhuhuhu!” Monokuma began. “Now that Makoto has arrived, we can finally begin!”

“You haven’t explained anything at all!” Aoi said, glaring at the bear. “What are we supposed to be ‘beginning’...?”

“Well… we can’t have a murder without motive, right?” Monokuma said. “Luckily your headmaster is very thoughtful and thought long and hard about this…”

“Here you go everyone!” Monokuma yelled, as he threw mirrors at everyone.

“Huh?!” Yasuhiro yelled out, barely catching his. “A-are these mirrors filled with g-ghosts or something?!”

“Yeah!” Mondo yelled out. “What’s the fuckin’ deal with these things…?”

“Mirrors reveal appearances, correct?” Monokuma said, starting to explain. “Thus, these mirrors reveal the one thing you don’t want to see about yourself.”

“Bear,” Byakuya said. “What exactly do you mean?”

“These mirrors are tailor made for their owner!” Monokuma explained. “They show you exactly what you try to hide from the world.”

“Is that even possible…?” Aoi asked.

“Look for yourself!” Monokuma responded.

Makoto checked his mirror and was surprised when the image changed to a younger Makoto and a wet bed. 

_So that’s what I hide from the world…? The fact that I wet the bed up until 5th grade...?_

Makoto stared blankly at the mirror before realization hit him.

_Wait… if what I’m hiding isn’t serious, I can assume the other’s secrets aren’t that bad as well, right…?_

“Puhuhu! There’s something else I should mention before I forget…” Monokuma began.

“Well, get on with it,” Byakuya said. “Some of us don’t have all day.”

“Before going to bed at night each student is supposed to put their mirror in the holder located in classroom 1-A!” Monokuma explained.

“Is there anything else?” Sakura asked.

“Awe, am I being pushed out so soon…?” Monokuma said, fake pouting.

“N-no one l-likes you h-here,” Toko sneers.

“Alright!” Monokuma said. “Have fun kids!”

“Hm,” Kyoko said. “This is an interesting motive.”

“Maybe we should share our motives!” Kiyotaka yelled. “It won’t work against us if we all come out now…!”

“About that bro…” Mondo said. “I don’t really feel comfortable airin’ all my secrets, you know?”

The class hummed in agreement, leaving Kiyotaka no choice.

“Well if my bro says so…” Kiyotaka said. “Then we’ll keep them to ourselves.”

“Well, there’s no point in staying here, no?” Celeste asked.

“Exactly,” Byakuya said. “Don’t expect me to share my ‘secret’ with the likes of you.”

“Um… no one is expecting that from you…?” Aoi added.

“Shut up.” Byakuya said, before turning and leaving.

Toko followed quickly after Byakuya.

“So uh, Makoto,” Junko said, walking up to Makoto. “You gonna talk to Taka before Mondo steals him away?”

“H-huh…?” Makoto asked. “I already told you, it’s not like that…!”

“You sure?” Junko asked, tilting her head. “If you wait too long, Mondo’s gonna sweep him off his feet like some weird rendition of a fairytale.”

“What do you mean?”

“You heard how they were like this morning,” Junko explained. “‘Bro’ this and ‘bro’ that, they should just get a fuckin’ room at this point.”

“Y-you really think that they’re going to get into a relationship…?” Makoto asked, not understanding his sudden curiosity.

“Makoto, it’s only a matter of time,” Junko said, flipping her hair. “Don’t be an uber omega, just at least feel the situation out, y’know?”

“I’ll at least talk to him,” Makoto said. “B-but not because I like him, just because I’m worried for him… as a friend…!”

“Yeah sure,” Junko said, laughing as she walked off.

Makoto gathered his courage, surprisingly Kiyotaka was without his ‘bro’ Mondo.

“Hey, um, Taka, do you think we could talk…?” Makoto stuttered out.

“Huh… oh sure!” Kiyotaka said.

“So, are you worried about the motive?” Makoto asked. “I mean they are pretty personal right…?”

“Makoto! Are you trying to hide something unwholesome…?!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“N-no…! I’m just saying, if Mondo and the others were refusing to share the images they saw in their mirrors... “

“My bro would never do something like murder!” Kiyotaka yelled, suddenly offended.

“I wasn’t implying anyone would!” Makoto said back, defensively. “I’m just worried about having to do another class trial.”

Kiyotaka’s eyes softened, “That’s very honorable of you Makoto!”

“Huh…? Not really,” Makoto said. “The situation wasn’t very pleasant for anyone involved.” 

Sayaka’s screeches of betrayal, Leon’s dead body in his bathroom. So many things had gone wrong in their first few days here. Was it so odd Makoto wouldn’t want to go through that again?

“I assure you, my bro and I will do our best to keep everyone safe!” Kiyotaka yelled.

 _Junko really wasn’t kidding when she said that all Taka would talk about is his ‘bro’..._ Makoto thought. _Hey… why am I thinking so hard about this… I’m not jealous, right…?!_

“Anyways Makoto, I’d love to stay and chat more but I promised my bro I’d hang out later!”

“Y-yeah, okay, I’ll talk to you later,” Makoto mumbled.

 _Ugh, this motive must just be messing with my head…_ _I might as well just put away my mirror and head to sleep now._

Makoto went to classroom 1-A and deposited his mirror. He realized he was the first person, which made sense because it was way before the night time announcement.

“Hey,” Kyoko said, intercepting him as he left. “Are you going to sleep early?”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “I haven’t been feeling too well and I don’t really want to break any rules…”

“Feel better,” Kyoko said, before walking into the classroom.

Makoto made his way to his room without any further interruptions. Throwing himself onto the bed without a glance towards his bathroom he fell into a dreamless sleep.

Makoto awoke to the annoying noise of Monokuma’s Morning announcement. Getting up, he opened his bathroom door in annoyance. 

If Leon was there for a sickening second Makoto acted otherwise.

Making his way into the cafeteria Makoto noticed he was second for once, the first person being there was Kyoko.

“Ah Makoto,” Kyoko said. “You’re here early.”

“Same to you, Kyoko,” Makoto said. “Did I miss something or is everyone oversleeping…?”

“Not that I know of,” Kyoko said. “It seems everyone might’ve stayed up later than usual.”

“Ah…” Makoto said, getting what Kyoko was implying.

“Just be careful, okay?” Kyoko said. “We should expect everyone to be on edge.”

As more people gathered into the cafeteria, Makoto noticed Aoi and Chihiro were missing.

“Perhaps they’re skipping the meal?” Celeste offered. “I don’t understand why but that’s a reason, no?”

“Aoi skipping a meal?” Sakura asked. “That’s very unlikely…”

“Miss Fujisaki missing a meal as well?!” Hifumi yelled out. “This is extremely worrying!”

Makoto’s stomach filled with dread, he had a feeling he already knew where this was heading.

“We should investigate immediately!” Kiyotaka yelled. “We should assure the safety of our classmates!”

“Shouldn’t we warn Byakuya as well?” Kyoko asked. “This information might interest him.”

“There’s no need,” Byakuya interjected coldly. “I already know where you’ll find one of them.”

“W-what do you mean…?” Makoto asked.

“That swimmer girl,” Byakuya said. “She’s doing the dead man’s float in the school’s pool.”

Sakura got up immediately. “Show us, now.”

Byakuya led the group to the second floor. Makoto could immediately notice scratch marks on the pool’s first door.

“Signs of a struggle,” Kyoko commented quietly.

Each person scanned their Monopads to get into the changing rooms. Quickly exiting to find that Byakuya wasn’t wrong in his original assessment.

Monokuma’s body discovery announcement rang and Aoi’s cruel fate was revealed.

Makoto was sure he was going to be sick when they discovered Aoi’s body, but he underestimated how sick he was going to feel.

“Makoto,” Kyoko said, kneeling down to where he had fallen onto his knees. “You need to get up.”

Makoto nodded, numbly.

“Hm, we must assume the worst has happened to Chihiro as well, no?” Celeste asked.

“Miss Fujisaki… dead…?” Hifumi asked, heartbroken.

“It seems likely,” Kyoko said. “The fact that Chihiro hasn’t been seen and we discovered one body…”

“Maybe he’s hidin’ because she’s the fuckin’ murderer of Hina!” Mondo yelled out.

“Bro…? You might be right…” Kiyotaka said.

“... Is it really possible for someone like Chihiro to do this much damage to Hina?” Sakura asked, voice low.

“Comparing their statures,” Byakuya said. “It seems unlikely.”

“Then we must find Chihiro,” Kyoko said.

“We still need two people to stay here and guard the body…” Makoto mumbled.

“I’ll stay with Hina,” Sakura said. “At least until Chihiro is found…”

“I’ll stay as well,” Mondo said. “It’s not like I’ll be useful anywhere else.”

“Then let’s split up into groups and look for Chihiro.” Kyoko said.

Before leaving, Makoto and Kyoko were stopped by Celeste.

“Hm, sticking with you two might be the best bet, no?”

“H-huh…? What do you mean, Celeste…?” Makoto asked.

“Are you really not aware of how you acted last class trial?” Celeste asked.

“So you’re sticking with us for a better chance in the class trial?” Kyoko asked.

“That as well as safety in numbers,” Celeste said. “The situation we’re in isn’t the most comforting, no?”

“No,” Makoto said. “This is the farthest thing from comforting.”

“Well, we should work under the assumption that Chihiro is at least unable to leave her current location.” Kyoko said.

“Hm,” Celeste said, tilting her head slightly. “Perhaps we should check her room, maybe she overslept?”

Makoto and Kyoko nodded in agreement, and the three made their way to Chihiro’s dorm.

“It’s closed,” Makoto noted. “But where else could she be…?”

“Are we sure it’s locked?” Kyoko asked. “The door looks a little, off…”

Kyoko tried the door, and to the surprise of Celeste and Makoto it opened with ease.

The air felt heavy and Makoto could only hear static in his ears. Chihiro was staring lifelessly ahead, hanging from her neck on the light in her room.

Monokuma’s body discovery announcement played again, mockingly. 

Makoto shook himself out of his stupor.

“W-we need to tell the others,” Makoto stuttered out. “This… this is different.”

“I’ll get them,” Celeste said. “I suppose it was best to assume the worst.”

“Once the others come,” Kyoko began. “We’ll need to get her down to examine her body.”

“Isn’t it obvious how she died…?” Makoto swallowed out, trying to block out the dread that was quickly morphing into panic.

“Maybe,” Kyoko admitted. “But we won’t know if it’s a murder or suicide until we can see the neck wound.”

“There would be a difference…?” Makoto asked.

“Yes,” Kyoko said. “It would be quite obvious, actually.”

After a few minutes Mondo, Hifumi, Byakuya and Celeste entered the room.

“So,” Byakuya said. “That solves that mystery, doesn’t it?”

“It’s pretty obvious about what happened here, right?” Mondo asked. “It’s pretty obvious Chihrio fuckin’ hung herself, right?”

“Miss Fujisaki was murdered!” Hifumi yelled out. “There’s no way she would’ve willingly done this to herself.”

“You didn’t know Chihiro as well as you think, then.” Mondo replied.

“Now that everyone is here,” Kyoko began. “I think it’s in our best bet to examine the body thoroughly.”

“Do you need any help?” Makoto asked.

“No,” Kyoko said. “I’ll be fine.”

Kyoko stood on Chihiro’s table and untied the white wire connecting her neck to the light. Afterwards, Kyoko moved Chihiro’s body to the floor.

“First thing we need to do is remove this wire…” Kyoko said, slowly untying the wire.

“That’s odd,” Byakuya said.

“W-what is…?” Makoto asked.

“Nevermind,” Byakuya replied. “If you can’t notice it that’s your own fault, not mine.”

“Could you all turn away for a minute?” Kyoko asked. “I want to see if Chihiro has any more wounds on her body…”

Everyone turned away, and Kyoko gasped in surprise.

“Huh,” Kyoko said. “That’s unexpected.”

“You can all look now,” Kyoko said. “It seems that Chihiro’s big secret… nevermind.”

“I doubt this is the actual crime scene,” Kyoko said. “It looks too clean for a murder to have happened here.”

“That’s because he hung herself, remember?!” Mondo said. “I wouldn’t count suicide as fuckin’ murder, would you?”

“Then there’s nothing of note here, then,” Byakuya said before walking off.

“Makoto,” Kyoko said. “Perhaps it’s best if we leave here and examine Hina’s body.”

“W-wait… shouldn’t there be-” Makoto began, but was quickly cut off by Kyoko.

“I’m assuming you two will be keeping an eye on the corpse?” Kyoko asked, staring at Hifumi and Mondo.

“You can count on me!” Hifumi yelled. “I’ll make sure no one bothers Miss Fujisaki!”

“Might as fuckin’ well,” Mondo said. “But no one is going to touch the corpse of a murderer.” 

Kyoko led Makoto out of Chihiro’s room, leading him to the hallway before stopping again.

“Chihiro was murdered,” Kyoko said plainly. “The wound on Chihiro’s neck proves that.”

“The wound on her neck…?” Makoto asked.

“When someone hangs themself their neck is broken, if not completely at least in some parts,” Kyoko explained. “Also the marking on Chihiro’s neck is horizontal, if a person is to hang themself, it’ll be more ‘V’ shaped.”

“So you mean whoever killed Hina also killed Chihiro…?” Makoto asked.

“Yes,” Kyoko said. “And I believe it ties in directly with the motives that we were given yesterday.

“It ties in with our motives…?”

“Last night, twenty minutes after the night time announcement I checked who returned their mirrors,” Kyoko said. “There were three mirrors missing, Chihiro, Aoi and Mondo.” 

“H-huh…?!”

“Of course,” Kyoko continued. “Until we get the Monokuma Files, that information could just be a coincidence.”

“Puhuhuhu! Lucky for the both of you, your headmaster pays attention to everything that happens in this school!”

“W-where did you come from?!” Makoto yelled.

“I don’t think you want to know that, Makoto!” Monokuma said, cheerfully. “Anyways… you two are the only students missing their Monokuma File!”

“I suppose you’re here to give them to us,” Kyoko responded.

“You _bear_ -ly needed to ask!” Monokuma said, before handing the both of them a Monokuma File...

“You kids should be _bear_ -y grateful that you have me to help you!” Monokuma laughed before disappearing.

“Hm,” Kyoko said. “This is where we part ways, for now.”

“W-wait…! When you said you looked at the mirrors did you mean you-”

“If it makes you feel better, my mirror also showed something embarrassing.” Kyoko responded before turning away.

“Wow Makoto, ditched again, huh?” Junko asked.

“H-huh… when did you get here?!” Makoto screeched.

“Jeez, you’re easy to scare huh?” Junko asked. “Anyways, I figured it would be easier if we investigated together. Y’know pack mentality or whatever they say.”

“Huh… yeah, I guess you’re right.” Makoto responded.

“So,” Junko said, “have you examined Hina’s body yet? Everyone’s crowding over there, but I’ve heard there’s nothing interesting with Chihiro.”

“Yeah,” Makoto agreed. “Chihiro’s room is pretty normal other than her body being there. Kyoko believes it was moved.”

“Do you believe that Chihiro was moved?” Junko asked.

 _I don’t want to believe that someone could murder Chihiro,_ Makoto thought to himself. _But I don’t want to believe that Chihiro would kill herself either._

“I think she was moved, yeah,” Makoto said. “I’d like to believe Kyoko on this anyways.”

“Well, then we should probably go to Hina’s corpse,” Junko said. “Hopefully the vultures have cleared out.”

“V-vultures…?!” Makoto asked. “How are there-”

“Makoto, dude, I was joking.”

“Haha… sorry, I’m just a bit on edge…” Makoto admitted.

“It’s fine,” Junko said. “It’s not everyday you find two dead bodies, huh?”

Makoto nodded, both Junko and Makoto went upstairs to the second floor.

“Hey, Makoto,” Junko said. “Do ya notice anything weird about this door?”

“Huh…? Oh yeah, there’s scratches on it...” Makoto said.

“I suppose that means that someone was struggling,” Junko said. “Maybe it’s time that the Monokuma File is actually useful.”

Makoto checked his Monokuma File, Chihiro’s autopsy stated that besides the injury of the neck there were no other things of note. It placed the time of death at around 1 AM. Aoi’s autopsy report was a bit different, the cause of death was noted as drowning, but it did note a head injury. The file also noted that her nails on both hands were broken and bloody. Her death was placed at around 1:30 AM.

“Well, let’s get to seeing Hina’s body,” Junko said.

Makoto and Junko went into the pool area and the separate changing areas, they met up again at the pool.

“Makoto!” Yasuhiro yelled, “It’s terrible!”

“Huh… what is?”

“Hina’s body…! It’s all bloated, I think she was possessed by a g-ghost!”

“Where is Hina anyways?” Junko asked. “She’s no longer in the pool, right?”

“She’s over by Sakura… Kyoko wanted to examine her or something.” Yasuhiro answered. “I think she might be checking for ghosts.”

“You can’t be that stupid, can you?” Junko asked.

“Maybe we should leave Kyoko and Sakura alone,” Makoto said. “At least until we can examine the area.”

“Smart idea, Makoto,” Junko said. “Let’s see if anything catches our attention.” 

“That dumbbell near the pool,” Makoto said, as he walked towards the dumbbell. “The Monokuma File said that Hina had a head injury right?”

“Yeah and this thing has blood on it,” Junko noted. “It’s small enough where I don’t think it would kill someone but it would definitely knock someone out.”

“So, do you think the blackened attacked Hina here?”

“Yeah, that’d make the most sense,” Junko said. “I mean, no need to bring the murder weapon with you.”

“I think we should check the changing rooms,” Makoto said. “We need to find out where this dumbbell was taken from.”

“Alright, make sure not to perv out in the boy’s one or anything, alright?” Junko said.

“H-huh…?!”

“Just kidding, you’re not that type of guy.”

Makoto went into the boy’s changing room, to his dismay he noticed that a smaller dumbbell was missing.

 _The blackened has to be a guy then,_ Makoto thought to himself. _The mastermind is very strict on not letting the opposite gender get into the other gender’s changing room._

As Makoto went back to the pool, he was surprised to see Junko hadn’t come out yet.

“Hey uh, Makoto,” Junko said as she got out of the changing room. “The girl’s changing room is a total mess, almost looks like a guy’s room.”

“What do you mean it’s a total mess?” Makoto asked.

“I didn’t really notice before, with Sakura pushing all us girls and whatever but that place got trashed pretty bad.”

“So you mean the blackened and Hina probably fought in there?” Makoto asked.

“I dunno, but whatever happened was pretty rough.” Junko said. “Anyways, looks like Kyoko’s done ogling up Hina or whatevs.”

“I’m not so sure that’s what she was doing…” Makoto muttered.

“Eh, probably,” Junko said. “You gotta admit though, her body obsession is pretty weird.”

Makoto and Junko walked up to Hina’s body.

“Hina drowned,” Kyoko said. “That we can truly ascertain.”

“So the Monokuma File isn’t wrong about that then…” Sakura said.

“Is there anything odd about her body?” Junko asked. “Any other injuries that weren’t mentioned in the Monokuma File?”

“No,” Kyoko said. “The head injury is her only other injury.”

“What was the point of the head injury? Why hit her if you’re going to throw her in the pool…?” Makoto asked.

“It could be for various reasons,” Kyoko said. “The reasoning though is likely clear if you examine the other places the victim was at.”

Sakura hummed silently.

“I don’t think we’re going to find anything more useful here,” Junko whispered to Makoto. “I think it’s best we just explore somewhere else.”

“Yeah,” Makoto whispered back. “There’s something that’s been bothering me about Chihiro’s body.”

“Oh?”

Makoto and Junko left the pool and the changing rooms.

“You mentioned something weird about Chihiro’s body,” Junko said. “Now I’m curious.”

“The thing that was hanging around Chihiro’s neck, I think I’ve seen it before.” Makoto said.

“Oh yeah, that wire, right?” Junko asked. “I wonder where we’ve seen wires like that before.”

“Maybe the library?” Makoto said. “That’s the only place we’ve seen any technology.”

“Well we’ve got no other leads, so let’s go!” Junko said.

The two made their way to the library, Junko looked around at the books and Makoto noticed a desk lamp.

“Hey… shouldn’t this lamp be connected to something?” Makoto asked as Junko came over.

“Maybe it’s battery powered?” Junko offered.

“I don’t think so… it has an opening which you could probably plug something in to…” Makoto said.

“That might be the murder weapon for Chihiro’s murder,” Junko said. “I mean we can assume that since this wire is missing it’s at least related.

“Yeah…” Makoto said. “There’s something else that has been bothering me, but I don’t know if there’s anything I can do to clear it up before the class trial…”

“Huh?” Junko said. “Tell me and then we’ll investigate!”

“Wow, I sounded cool for a second there, didn’t I, Makoto?” Junko asked.

“Haha… yeah,” Makoto said. “The dumbbell was from the boy’s changing room but the girl’s room was a mess… Is there a way to get into both?”

“Huh,” Junko said. “Yeah, if you scan in someone’s ID you can get into both…”

“How would you get someone’s ID?” Makoto asked. “Isn’t it against the rules to trade your e-Handbook with someone else?”

“Yeah, it’s one of the newer rules,” Junko said. “But there’s probably a loophole somewhere.”

“Maybe,” Makoto said. “But is there anything we can do to prove that?”

“I dunno,” Junko admitted. “But I do have an idea on where we can check.”

“Huh…?” 

“For once Makoto, let me lead the way!” Junko said. “And damn, I sounded cool as hell again!”

Junko led Makoto to the main hall, where e-Handbooks of the deceased students lay in a mailbox.

“Here’s where our handbooks go to die, after us of course,” Junko said. “So let’s check ‘em and make sure that it’s only Sayaka’s and Leon’s.”

Makoto attempted to power on a handbook only to have it not respond.

“Hey, Junko?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah?”

“Did your e-handbook power on?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah, Sayaka’s handbook is up and running,” Junko said.

“Huh,” Makoto said. “This one is refusing to turn on at all…”

“Leon’s probably broke when he was getting murdered, then,” Junko said.

“Hey! You can’t just call my handbooks weak and get away with it!” Monokuma yelled, as he appeared.

“Well they are pretty weak,” Junko said. “This one is obviously broken.”

“Well if it is, it didn’t break during a murder!” Monokuma said.

“What do you mean it didn’t break during a murder?” Makoto asked.

“They only have one design flaw!” Monokuma said. “And don’t ask! Because I’m not going to tell you!”

“But you’re telling us it couldn’t have broke during the murder?” Junko asked.

“Yep!” Monokuma said before disappearing. 

“Hm,” Junko said. “That lead us nowhere, which is fuckin’ lame.”

“I don’t think so…” Makoto said. “We learned that the e-Handbooks broke, but we know it broke by a student…”

“Yeah…” Junko said.

“Hey… wait a second…” Makoto said. “Is there another handbook in there?”

“Huh…? Holy shit… You’re right…” Junko said.

Makoto reached into the slot and pulled out a handbook. It turned on quickly. It was Aoi Asahina’s handbook.

“So the blackened must’ve known about this then…” Makoto mumbled.

If Junko was going to respond she never got the chance because suddenly Monokuma’s voice started announcing it was time for the class trial.

“I think we can do this!” Junko said, smiling.

 _Probably_ , Makoto thought to himself. _But do I really want to do this all over again?_

As Makoto made his way to the elevator, he hoped that no one else would die. But he already knew that death was in the cards for at least one of his classmates.

“Puhuhuhu! I’m glad to see everyone is here!” Monokuma said.

“It’s not like you give us any other choice.” Byakuya responded, coldly.

“There’s something I would like to ask before we start the trial,” Kyoko began. “Is there a limit on how many people are killed per murder-session or is someone free to kill all of us?”

“I’m glad you asked!” Monokuma said. “Committing more than two murders is a punishable offense!”

“So,” Kyoko said. “We won’t ever experience any more than two dead bodies in an investigation?”

“I never said that, did I…?”

“Well then! Let the class trial begin!” Monokuma yelled.

“Let’s begin with what we know,” Kyoko said. “The two victims of this case were Aoi Asahina and Chihiro Fujisaki.”

“That swimmer girl was the first body we found.” Byakuya said. “Chihiro’s body was hidden in her room, disguised as a suicide.”

“How do we know it wasn’t a suicide?!” Mondo asked. “I bet that guy fuckin’ killed her and just couldn’t live with the guilt!”

“No, that’s wrong!” Makoto yelled. “Chihiro’s neck wounds don’t fit in with hanging! According to Kyoko’s examination of her body the neck wound on Chihiro should be ‘V’ shaped but instead it’s horizontal!”

“So?! What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Mondo yelled.

“It means that Chihiro didn’t hang herself and that she was strangled!” Makoto explained.

“The worst sort of criminal.” Hifumi muttered. “Attacking an innocent and defenseless girl…”

“So now that we’re all on the same page on Chihiro,” Junko said. “Where are we supposed to go from here?”

“Someone who would murder two girls…” Celeste said. “They do seem very dangerous, no?”

“Two girls…” Kyoko said. “Are we sure the reasoning is just that…?”

“Maybe they killed Chihiro after throwing Hina in the pool!” Yasuhiro yelled. “You know, to get rid of witnesses! That makes sense… right?”

“No that’s wrong!” Makoto yelled. “According to the Monokuma Report, Chihiro was the first death and Hina was second.” 

“Huh…? But we found Hina’s body first, so obviously she died first, right?!” Yasuhiro responded.

“No,” Sakura said. “If anyone witnessed a murder, it was probably Hina…”

“Huh…? Hina witnessed the murder, that doesn’t make sense!” Yasuhiro yelled.

“No, I agree with Sakura as well,” Kyoko said. “But I don’t think it matters who died first, at least it didn’t matter to the blackened.”

“H-huh…?” Toko muttered. “W-what do you m-mean the o-order d-didn’t matter to the b-blackened…?”

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Kyoko said. “To the blackened it didn’t matter _who_ died, the blackened just wanted people to die.”

“Now that doesn’t make any sense at all,” Byakuya spat. “Of course the order matters, if one of them witnessed the crime they had to go as well.”

“Yeah yeah, that’s great and all but arguing about the blackend’s motive isn’t going to get us any closer to discovering the blackened themself…” Junko said.

“Well, I think I might have a few hints on who the blackened might be…” Makoto said.

“Well Makoto it’s your duty to share this information with the class!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“Well, we know that the dumbbell that injured Hina was from the boy’s changing room, right?” Makoto asked.

“S-so you’re implying that o-one of the g-guys did i-it right?” Toko asked. “W-well M-makoto usually you’d be my f-first bet but you’re all t-too scrawny.”

 _Thanks for that, I guess._ Makoto thought.

“No man would ever harm a girl, right bro?!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“H-huh…? Oh y-yeah.” Mondo said.

“But are we so sure that both victims were females?” Kyoko asked. “We’ve been running based off that assumption but, is everyone here really so sure?”

“Huh… why would we assume anything else?” Makoto asked.

“Are you implying that Miss Fujisaki was not a girl?!” Hifumi yelled.

“I’m just saying we should be prepared for the possibility,” Kyoko said. “But that’s not a pressing issue. What is, is the motive…”

“The m-motive…?” Toko asked. “W-what would that have t-to do with a-anything right now?”

“Everyone’s motives were interesting,” Kyoko admitted. “But there are some I have yet to discover…”

“You saw our motives?!” Byakuya said, enraged.

“Hey! Haven’t you heard of privacy?!” Yasuhiro complained.

“Please don’t get the wrong idea about me from it!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“Interesting the lies the mastermind would create, no?” Celeste asked.

“What do you find so interesting about the motives, Kyoko?” Sakura asked.

“The motives themselves all fit the theme,” Kyoko said. “Or that’s what I would say if I saw all of the motives…”

“What?!” Kiyotaka yelled. “Was someone breaking the rules?!”

“No that’s wrong!” Makoto yelled, “I think I know what Kyoko’s talking about…”

“Huh…?! How could she not see all the motives if someone was not breaking the rules?!”

“Kyoko told me that twenty minutes after the night time announcement she checked the mirrors. Apparently, Mondo, Chihiro and Aoi’s mirrors were all missing…” Makoto explained.

“That’s interesting, is it not?” Celeste asked. “We know Chihiro and Hina never got the chance to put away their mirrors, but what is your excuse Mondo?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I couldn’t fuckin’ sleep.” Mondo said. “The motive thing might’ve been total bullshit but it still bothered me.”

“Hey, wait a second… if you attempted to sleep, wouldn’t you still have to put your mirror back?” Yasuhiro asked.

“I-ignoring the i-idiot, can we discuss something e-else?” Toko said.

“Aw, and I thought I was onto something!” Yasuhiro complained.

“Hm, we’ve been discussing Hina so much but I think we should go back to Chihiro.” Junko said. “There’s something that’s not sitting right with me and that chick.”

“Other than the false suicide?” Byakuya asked.

“That ‘rope’ for example, what kind of wire was that?” Junko asked.

“It was probably the library desk lamp’s extension cord,” Makoto said. “When Junko and I went to the library we noticed the desk lamp missing its extension cord.”

“Surprisingly, you’re correct, Makoto.” Byakuya said. “Chihiro was hanging from the extension cord.”

“There’s something else that’s uber important,” Junko said. “How did the killer get into both the boy’s and the girl's changing rooms. Unless they’re dual wielding, that should be impossible, right?”

“H-huh…? T-the killer g-got into both c-changing rooms?” Toko asked.

“Yep! The girls changing room was totally trashed and the boy’s changing room is missing a dumbbell.” Junko said.

“Y-you’re such a w-whore…! H-how else would you k-know that the d-dumbbell is missing f-from the boy’s c-changing room…?!”

“I’m the whore? Makoto just told me that it was missing!” Junko yelled.

“W-well I-I’m sure y-you two w-were enjoying y-your private t-time together,” Toko said. “W-were you g-giving him your m-model special?”

“Hey! You don’t really think Junko and Makoto would do that... do you?” Kiyotaka asked.

“Huh…?!” Makoto yelled. “This has nothing to do with the case at hand!”

“But it does bring up an interesting point,” Kyoko said. “How did the blackened get into both changing rooms?”

“It has something to do with our e-Handbooks,” Hifumi said. “Miss Fujisaki was quite handy with hers, maybe they modified the blackened’s e-Handbook!”

“Unlikely,” Junko said. “Wasn’t she like super busy with that project we assigned to her or whatever?”

“But perhaps it does have something to do with the e-Handbooks.” Kyoko added. “Has anyone seen anything weird with them as of late?”

“Yeah, actually, I have,” Makoto said. “Monokuma says that all of his e-Handbooks are unbreakable except for one flaw…”

“Yet?” Kyoko asked.

“Yet, in the mailbox where all the dead student’s e-Handbooks are stored one of them was broken…”

“S-since we’re b-bringing up our e-experiences with broken e-Handbooks I m-might as well j-join in…” Toko said. “I-in the s-sauna I f-found another broken e-Handbook…”

“You actually went into the sauna?” Byakuya asked. “Surprising, but you already mentioned that.”

“You weren’t going to share that information with us?” Kyoko asked.

“I feel no need to better the rate of your survival.” 

“Your survival relies on us, dude.” Junko said.

“Inconquestential.”

“Wait, you found the broken e-Handbook in the sauna?” Makoto asked.

“Y-yep, is t-that so s-surprising?” Toko asked.

“Then wait,” Makoto said. “Monokuma, is the e-Handbook’s weakness heat?”

“Aw… you guessed it!” Monokuma said. “Now that you know you better not make a hobby out of destroying them! Because I’m not going to replace them!”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that, Monokuma.” Celeste said. “We value being able to access the pool.”

“Alright, so we’ve discovered the e-Handbooks weakness but why was there such a mess on the door of the pool?” Yasuhiro asked. “Did the ghosts do it?!”

“Someone like Hina probably didn’t want to die.” Sakura said. “Since we know she died after, we can assume she tried to fight the blackened.”

“Maybe it was Miss Fujisaki!” Hifumi added. “Someone like her wouldn’t go down without a fight either.”

“From the evidence,” Kyoko said. “It was likely that Hina was the one fought back.”

“What makes you so sure?!” Hifumi yelled.

“She’s probably talking about Hina’s finger nails being broken.” Makoto explained. “If she was scratching against the door it probably would’ve broken her nails.”

“I suppose I must concede to that point,” Hifumi said. “But I’ll fight for Miss Fujisaki’s honor with my life!”

“Dude, she’s not here to thank you.” Junko said.

“I think it’s honorable, just like my relationship with bro!” Kiyotaka added.

“Yeah, our bond is fuckin’ powerful.” Mondo said.

“I think Chihiro’s and Hifumi’s bond emulates Taka’s and Mondo’s relationship more than what was originally expected.” Kyoko said.

“H-huh… what do you mean by that?!” Mondo asked.

“Chihiro Fujisaki was not in fact a girl, but actually a guy.” Kyoko said.

“What?!” Hifumi yelled. “You’re lying, Miss Kirigiri, I refuse to believe you!”

“In fact,” Kyoko said. “If we checked Chihiro’s body we’d find more male features than female.”

“That would explain how he never wanted to hang out with Hina and I despite wanting to train.” Sakura said. 

“Miss Fujisaki is a Mr. …? I can’t live like this!” Hifumi yelled.

“Suck it up, buttercup,” Junko said.

“If we’re assuming that our blackened knew Chihiro’s true gender, then I think it’s pretty clear who the blackened is, isn’t it?” Kyoko asked.

“No…! Not at all!” Yasuhiro yelled.

“You’re talking about the mistake in pronouns, aren’t you?” Byakuya asked.

“Exactly,” Kyoko said.

“Mistake in pronouns…?” Makoto asked. “What do you two mean?”

“The blackened already knew Chihiro’s true gender, and because of that they’ve been switching pronouns in order to keep the secret,” Kyoko explained. “I think that’s pretty obvious.”

“Huh…?” Junko said. “Are we supposed to be paying attention to everyone’s little mistakes?!”

“Yes.” Kyoko said.

“Wait…” Makoto said. “I think I know who you’re talking about.” 

“Really? You were able to piece that out with the nothing she gave us?!” Yasuhiro asked.

“Mondo, you’ve been acting really weird this whole trial.” Makoto said. 

“Huh, what the hell are you talking about?!” Mondo yelled.

“I think this whole mystery could be solved if each of us just showed our e-Handbooks.” Makoto explained.

“What use would they have in this situation?” Celeste asked.

“The blackened knew about the way the e-Handbooks could break. Therefore, they had probably broken theirs in the sauna.”

“That would make sense, but why specifically Mondo?” Celeste asked.

“Mondo and Taka had an endurance contest in the sauna. From what I can remember Mondo didn’t take off his clothes…” Makoto began to explain. “Mondo probably kept his e-Handbook on him, and when he left the sauna he discovered that it was broken.”

“So that e-Handbook we found probably wasn’t Leon’s but Mondo’s…?” Junko asked.

“Maybe,” Makoto said. “This can all be cleared up if we just show each other our handbooks.”

“There’s no need!” Kiyotaka yelled. “I already know bro is innocent! Bro would never kill someone!”

“Give it up already,” Mondo said. “There’s no point in trying when you’ve already lost.”

“Bro?! What are you talking about?” Kiyotaka yelled. “If you just show Makoto you’re innocent he’ll stop accusing you, I promise!”

“But he’s not wrong.” Mondo said. “And it’s time I owned up to it, as well.”

“No! You’re lying!” Kiyotaka yelled. “I refuse to believe it!”

“Makoto,” Kyoko said. “How about you explain it in full detail so that everyone might get it.”

“It all started when we got our motives,” Makoto began. “Mondo like everyone else was hesitant to share his motive.” 

“After the night time announcement Mondo still hadn’t went to bed, I think we can all safely assume that Mondo wasn’t planning on sleeping without committing a murder.” Makoto said. “I think he encountered Chihiro working out in the pool area and went and got the extension cord from the library.”

“After getting the cord, Mondo strangled Chihiro to death but unluckily for him Hina had decided to go to the pool at the same time.” Makoto said. “Hina tried to get away but Mondo caught her just as she made her way to the door.”

“She probably wasn’t easy to contain. She was fighting him every inch of the way there, but when he saw Chihiro’s dumbbell he knew what he could do to stop her.” Makoto said. “He hit her once, knocking her out before throwing her into the pool.”

“But he wasn’t done yet, he still had to move Chihiro’s body,” Makoto said. “Luckily for him, everyone was asleep at the time.”

“He hung Chihiro’s body up and left the door unlocked, leaving Chihiro to be discovered. But now he had two e-Handbooks that he didn’t have any use for,” Makoto said. “He threw Chihiro’s into the sauna so his true gender wouldn’t be discovered, and he put Hina’s handbook in the mailbox where he found Leon’s and Sayaka’s.”

“That’s what happened, right Mondo?” Makoto said.

“Y’know those two were braver than I was,” Mondo said. “Chihiro was trying to get stronger to accept himself and Hina was trying to improve her craft.”

“Yet I couldn’t accept what I saw in the mirror, I thought getting’ out of here would be the easiest way to move on.” Mondo said. “But it seems that I’ve just taken two more lives with me.”

“Bro! Don’t accept it! You just have to prove him wrong!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“There’s no point,” Mondo said. “He wasn’t wrong.”

“Well well well, it seems the facade of Mondo Owada has finally come to an end.” Monokuma said. “He couldn’t face what he saw in the mirror and took it out on others instead.”

“Why?” Sakura asked. “What was so worth it that you had to kill them to run away?”

“Let me tell you a story,” Monokuma said. “And pay attention because it’s _bear_ -y important!”

“Long ago there were two brothers, and they were happy for a time.” Monokuma said. “But the younger brother lived in the shadow of his older brother. And oh did I mention this was about the Owadas?”

“Anyways, Mondo’s brother led the Crazy Diamond’s biker gang and Mondo was his right hand man,” Monokuma said. “But Mondo wasn’t content in living in his brother’s shadow, so he challenged him to a race!”

“It was going pretty badly for Mondo and he had to stoop to desperate methods to win the race,” Monokuma said. “But oh no! Mondo ends up in front of a truck coming straight at him! What will he do…?!”

“The answer is, nothing. Mondo’s brother hits him out of the way and takes the truck head on instead.” Monokuma said. “Does Mondo’s brother survive this incident? No. Does Mondo live with the guilt forever? Yes.”

“You know what’s even worse?” Monokuma asked. “He died on the day of his retirement! Well I guess that’s one way to make it more permanent…”

“Now here’s a sadder story about a young man named Chihiro Fujisaki…” Monokuma began. “Chihiro Fujisaki was a boy with a feminine frame, and like any boy with a feminine frame he was bullied relentlessly for it.”

“Now instead of standing up to his bullies like his murderer could, Chihiro folded like a stack of cards!” Monokuma said. “He decided to ‘embrace’ aka hide behind his femininity even if it made his skin crawl!”

“He wanted to become a stronger person, so he decided to work out.” Monokuma said. “Unluckily for him he picked a very bad time to improve on himself!” 

“Mondo decided that if he couldn’t be happy, no one could be happy!” Monokuma said. “So he took Chihiro’s strength away from him, permanently!”

“And finally our witness Aoi Asahina.” Monokuma said. “Talk about a comedy of errors!”

“First, Aoi looks into her mirror and sees that she’s not feminine enough,” Monokuma said. “‘Fine’, she thinks to herself, ‘I’ll just go swim that’ll make me feel better!’. Oh how wrong she could be.”

“So she heads to the pool and what does she see?” Monokuma asked. “Oh you know, Chihiro being strangled to death by one Mondo Owada.”

“Of course she tries to run away but Mondo is gaining on her quick.” Monokuma said. “She almost makes it to the exit, barely opens the door before Mondo’s grabbing her like there’s no tomorrow!”

“She scratches, she kicks, she breaks things, but it’s no use, she’s back at the pool in no time.” Monokuma said. “She’s causing too much trouble so Mondo hits her! Wham! And then she’s in the pool like nothing ever happened.”

“You’re lying you son of a bitch!” Kiyotaka yelled. “Shut the hell up!”

“I promise you that as your headmaster I would never lie unless it helps me!” Monokuma responded.

“Well,” Mondo said. “I guess you should get it over with then.”

“Don’t you feel sorry? Don’t you feel any remorse at all?” Sakura asked.

“Of course I do,” Mondo said. “But that doesn’t change anything.”

“You can’t bring back the dead with your apologies,” Makoto said. “You can’t bring back anything at all.”

“I hated my reflection in that damn mirror, but I guess Taka wasn’t wrong when he called me a coward,” Mondo said.

“No bro you’re not a coward-” 

“It’s over,” Mondo said. “I think it might even be for the best this way, even if it doesn’t seem like it yet.”

“Enough with the sentimentality, it’s punishment time!” Monokuma said.

“Wait no, stop you son of a bitch, stop!” Kiyotaka yelled out.

It was too late of course, Mondo was already being led away to his execution. 

Mondo’s shows up tied up to a pink motorcycle, it’s being driven by Monokuma. Around them is a circus with two cardboard tigers surrounding a metal ball cage. Monokuma starts up the motorcycle and jumps out just as they land in the ball cage. Mondo is left spinning when the cage closes as the cage starts to electrify. 

In front of the ball cage is another Monokuma hula hooping as the volts grow brighter the hula hooping gets faster

After the volts clear up, the motorcycle is still spinning sans Mondo. The hula hooper is sitting down exhausted. A machine makes a beeping noise and out comes a tub branded “Mondo Butter”.

“W-what did w-we just witness?” Toko asked.

“Jesus christ, did he just get turned into fucking butter?!” Junko cried.

“It’s what he deserved,” Sakura said.

Kiyotaka stared, silently, eyes showing only resignation.

Makoto gulped, he didn’t want to do this again. More ghosts weighing heavily on him. He had lost his good friends Aoi and Chihiro and he didn’t want to lose Mondo as well.

 _It always has to end like this,_ Makoto thought. _It’s us before them, but how can they put their lives before others…? Am I supposed to do the same?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, it's finally here.
> 
> It took about 5 months but I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> After working my beta-reader half to death, (sorry not sorry Wesley) it might still have formatting/grammar errors. Please let me know if you notice any!


	3. Boys, Drinks and Betrayal For Cash

* * *

Makoto awoke to Monokuma’s morning announcement annoyed. After the last class trial he was totally beaten mentally.

 _But I guess I’m faring better than Taka…_ Makoto thought to himself.

After Mondo’s execution, Kiyotaka had refused to move from his spot. Sakura had to pick him up and move him to his room.

He was just a husk of his former self.

The idea unnerved Makoto. For better or worse, Kiyotaka was the life of the students.

 _Sure he was loud, a bit bossy, and sometimes annoying._ Makoto thought to himself. _But he was also a good person at heart and he did things that he thought was for the best._

Makoto frowned at his line of thought. Kiyotaka was going to be fine.

He just had to be.

When Makoto arrived at the cafeteria for the morning meeting, he was surprised that the only other person there was Sakura.

“Ah Makoto,” Sakura said. “You’re the second person to arrive.”

“That’s odd,” Makoto said. “Did something happen…?”

“Not that I know of,” Sakura said. “It seems likely that everyone is still shaken up after…”

“Yeah,” Makoto interrupted quickly. “That was… pretty terrible.”

“Puhuhu!” Monokuma said, appearing out of nowhere. “Already giving up, Makoto?”

“No way!” Makoto yelled. “But… I’m allowed to reflect on the previous events of this ‘killing game’.”

“Aw…” Monokuma said, pouting. “You two are no fun… I’ll come back when everyone else arrives!”

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Makoto asked. “At least until the others come?”

“No,” Sakura said. “I’ll be fine, eventually.”

“Alright,” Makoto said, falling into awkward silence.

Eventually everyone other than Byakuya, Toko, and Yasuhiro made their way to the cafeteria.

Makoto wasn’t sure if it was a good thing that Kiyotaka had arrived. He didn’t seem any bit better since the class trial.

“Hm,” Celeste said. “It seems that Hiro is skipping, no?”

“That is unlike him,” Sakura noted. “He is not one to miss out on breakfast.”

“It’s a bit too early to assume he was murdered,” Kyoko said. “We haven’t even gotten a new motive yet.”

“Perhaps he’s just oversleeping,” Junko added. “He always struck me as the lazy type of guy.”

“Wouldn’t Monokuma’s morning announcement wake anyone?” Makoto asked. “You could be sleeping like a rock and that would jolt you.”

“Mr. Hagakure dead so soon?!” Hifumi yelled.

“No,” said Kyoko and Junko.

“Speaking of missing students,” Makoto said. “Do we know where Toko went?”

“Wow Makoto, you didn’t notice her huge crush on the rich kid?” Junko asked. “She’s probably stalking him right now.”

“S-stalking him?!” Makoto asked. “You really think she’d go that far?”

“Of course,” Junko said. “Girls like that always chase after the guy they love, it’s in their nature or whatever.”

“Perhaps we should look for Hiro,” Sakura said. “He must have a good reason for skipping.”

“...” Kiyotaka said, staring blankly ahead.

“R-right.” Makoto said. “Let’s go find Hiro!”

Makoto started to leave the cafeteria when he noticed Kiyotaka was following him. Deciding not to comment on it, Makoto thought the best place to check for Yasuhiro would be his room.

Knocking on the door, Yasuhiro warily opened it.

“You can’t let the gh-ghosts get me man!” Yasuhiro yelled. “You’ve got to promise you’ll get rid of the ghosts!”

“Huh?!” Makoto asked. “Ghosts? What are you talking about?”

“T-that green light. Man these ghosts can’t fool me!” Yasuhiro said. “If I step outside I’m sure to be ghost food!”

“...” Kiyotaka said.

“See!” Yasuhiro yelled. “Taka’s seen the ghost too!”

“I still don’t understand,” Makoto said. “What ghosts are you talking about?”

At this point everyone from the cafeteria had gathered up to see what Yasuhiro was talking about.

“The ghost in the bath house!” Yasuhiro said. “Chihiro was surrounded by a green light and he tried to speak to me!”

“Green light?” Kyoko asked. “Could you show us?”

“No way!” Yasuhiro yelled. “That’s a good way to end up dead.”

“As long as you show us,” Sakura said. “No harm will come to you from any ghosts.”

“Do you promise?” Yasuhiro asked.

“Of course,” Sakura replied.

Slowly, but surely, Yasuhiro opened his door.

“A-alright,” Yasuhiro said. “But before we begin, we need something to protect us from the ghosts…”

“Something to protect you from the ghosts?” Junko asked. “What, a vacuum to suck the ghost up?”

“No!” Yasuhiro yelled. “Salt to create a salt circle, that always keeps the occult away!”

 _Doesn’t that just work on demons and vampires…?_ Makoto thought to himself.

“Alright,” Junko said. “I’m gonna get some salt. Hope ghosts don’t eat me or whatever.”

“Hey! Take this seriously!” Yasuhiro yelled at Junko’s retreating form.

Shortly after, Junko came back with a salt shaker.

“Will this save you from the ghosts?” Junko asked.

“Was it blessed by a priest?” Yasuhiro asked.

“Sure,” Junko said. “It even said 5 Hail Marys.”

“Then it’s perfect!” Yasuhiro said.

“Lead the way, then,” Kyoko said.

Yasuhiro led the group to the Bath House in which they noticed that a laptop was in one of the lockers.

“Isn’t this the laptop we asked Chihiro to hack?” Celeste asked. “Why is it over here?”

“Perhaps this is what he decided to do with the project we gave him,” Sakura replied. “I believe he wanted to prove himself to us.”

“That doesn’t explain the weird green light, does it?” Junko said. “Or are we assuming Hiro is just going insane?”

“Hey! Don’t be mean, I’m perfectly sane!” Yasuhiro yelled.

“I wonder if we can summon a demon here, Mr. Hagakure.”

“Don’t even joke about that!”

“Perhaps,” Kyoko said. “That green light had something to do with a computer program Chihiro made.”

“A computer program that Chihiro made?” Celeste asked. “What makes you so sure?”

“I’m not,” Kyoko said. “We’ll only be able to confirm this when we turn the computer on.”

Kyoko went to the computer and powered it on.

“Hm,” Celeste said. “There seems to be a program called ‘Alter Ego’, maybe you should turn it on.”

Kyoko clicked on the Alter Ego program, starting it up. The monitor soon showed a green background with Chihiro’s face on it.

“Welcome back, Master!” The image of Chihiro said.

“M-master...?” Hifumi said. “Isn’t this the stuff fantasies are made up of?”

“Hey wait… if this is Chihiro, isn’t that a guy…?” Makoto asked.

“I didn’t know you were so narrow minded, Mr. Naegi!”

“I don’t think this is Chihiro, per say,” Celesia began. “‘Alter Ego’ means other self, no?”

“So you’re saying that this is another part of Chihiro?” Junko asked. “I guess that guy really isn’t dead.”

“Hey,” Makoto said, “I think I’ve heard about programs like this before. They’re supposed to be so advanced that they might take over humanity some day.”

“I suppose a computer program that could learn and grow like a human would have the ability,” Celeste said. “It is scary, no?”

“Well, instead of ogling at it, let’s ask him some questions!” Junko said. “This sort of thing is exciting, right?!”

“Maybe I should do it,” Celeste said. “After all, I am the most trustworthy person here.”

“How are we going to ask him questions?” Yasuhiro asked. “Do we have to learn another language or something…?”

“No,” Celeste said. “I believe I am supposed to type in my answers.”

“Almost like a chat room,” Hifumi said. “I wonder what else it knows…”

“Stay on topic,” Junko said. “No one cares about your fantasies with it.”

“Alright,” Makoto said. “Let’s see how much he knows about the situation.”

“How aware are you of the current going ons?” Celeste typed into the computer.

“Master didn’t tell me much,” Alter Ego said. “But from what I’ve been able to piece together it seems very grim.”

“You keep referring to this ‘Master’. This is Chihiro, no?” Celeste typed.

“Yes,” Alter Ego answered. “My Master is Chihiro Fujisaki.”

“We have to tell him about what happened to Chihiro,” Makoto said. “That’s the right thing to do, right?”

“...” Kiyotaka said.

“I suppose you are right,” Celeste said. “But it’s not like he can feel anyways, no?”

“Your Master was killed by Mondo Owada.” Celeste typed out.

“Oh…” Alter Ego said. “I did know that he had a high chance of dying… but… still…”

“Are there any other things we want to say to Alter Ego?” Celeste asked. “I fear we cannot stay much longer when the threat of discovery lurks near.”

“I want to… apologize,” Kiyotaka said. “For my bro… and my… actions as well.”

“Huh…? Taka can speak?!” Yasuhiro yelled out.

“Hm,” Celeste said. “Well then maybe you can take over, no?”

After saying that, Celeste handed the computer over to Kiyotaka who sat down and placed it on his lap.

“I’msa szoryr fore waht my bros died to hyour master,” Kiyotaka attempted to type while crying and shaking.

“Huh…? I’m sorry but I don’t understand!” Alter Ego responded.

“Maybe it’s better if you let someone else type for you…” Makoto suggested, staring at the garbled text that Kiyotaka had written.

“Can… you tell Chihiro… that I’m sorry for… what Bro has done...” Kiyotaka said, handing over the laptop to Makoto.

“Alright, sure…” Makoto said. “What do you want to say?”

“Tell him… I am sorry... “ Kiyotaka said.

“Taka says he’s sorry about what happened to Chihiro,” Makoto typed. “For both him and Mondo.”

“Apologizing…?” Alter Ego asked. “Huh… does he feel responsible for the death of Master?”

“Yeah,” Makoto typed. “You can say that for sure.”

“Um,” Alter Ego said. “If you don’t mind I have an idea that might be able to lift his spirits.”

“Huh…?” Makoto typed. “What do you mean?”

Suddenly an image of Mondo’s head appeared on the screen.

“Hey, bro!” ‘Mondo’ yelled out. “You’re not takin’ this too hard, are you?!”

Kiyotaka perked up as he heard Mondo, staring intently at the screen.

“Are you already givin’ up?” ‘Mondo’ asked. “What about our manly bond?! Did that mean fuckin’ nothing to you?”

“From what Master told me about Mondo…” Alter Ego explained, “this is the best simulation I can make.”

“Things aren’t going to get better by standin’ around, you know?!” ‘Mondo’ said. “What’s gonna change if you keep mopin’? Nothing.”

“You need to move on, you hear me?!” ‘Mondo’ said. “And I’m not fuckin’ around!”

“I get it now,” Kiyotaka said. “I can feel myself changing deep within my heart, no, my very soul!”

“Those words! They’re inside me…!” Kiyotaka yelled, closing his eyes. After a few short seconds, his hair turned white and his eyes started to flame.

“Taka…?!” Makoto yelled. “What the hell just happened to you?!”

“Taka…? Who the fudge is that?!” Kiyotaka said. “I’m not Taka, I’m me…!”

“That’s an interesting name,” Celeste said. “But perhaps there is something else we could call you?”

“Wh-what just happened?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “Did Taka get taken over by a gh-ghost?!”

“I told you, I’m not Taka!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“Um… what are w-we supposed to call you then, Mr…?” Hifumi asked.

“I’m a mix of Taka and Mondo… so…” Kiyotaka said. “Call me Kiyondo Ishida you dumbfaces!”

“A mix of both Taka and Mondo…?” Kyoko asked, “Could you perhaps explain that in a bit more detail?”

“You wouldn’t get their manly bond!” Kiyondo yelled.

“Woah,” Junko said. “I guess romance can also penetrate the barrier of death.”

“Well, there’s no use staying in here any longer,” Celeste said. “Unless we want to alert the mastermind to our only trump card.”

“We can’t lose Alter Ego!” both Hifumi and Kiyondo yelled at the same time.

“Yes,” Celeste said. “It would appear so.”

“Alright then,” Makoto said. “Let’s head back to the cafeteria!”

After leaving the bath house, the students were stopped by Monokuma.

“Hey, what were you all doing in there…?” Monokuma asked. “Don’t tell me you were getting all frisky!”

“No!” Kiyondo yelled. “That would be fudging unwholesome!”

“Huh…?” Monokuma asked. “Did Kiyotaka go albino since the last time I saw him?”

“Yeah!” Makoto said, “We were all giving him a pep talk and that happened…!”

“In the bath house?” Monokuma asked.

“Yeah!” Makoto said, quickly. “Is there any other place to go?”

“Makoto is right,” Sakura said. “Going to the bath house gives one a clearer perspective.”

“It was very enlightening, no?” Celeste said. “But now we must go have our breakfast so, goodbye Monokuma.”

“Aw,” Monokuma said. “You kids are tooooooo boring!”

After everyone went back to the cafeteria, Celeste started the morning meeting once more.

“Before we discuss investigating the new areas we’ve unlocked,” Celeste said, “I would like to discuss a new rule…”

“Hey!” Yasuhiro said. “Shouldn’t we let our leader lead the discussion if he’s feeling better?”

“Perhaps,” Celeste admits. “But I think this is important to our continued survival.”

“Very well,” Kiyondo said. “As long as you don’t take up too much time with what ya wanna fudgin’ say!”

“I believe I’ve noticed a pattern with the murders,” Celeste began. “That is to say that they all happened at night, no?”

“Huh,” Makoto said. “You’re right.”

“So I suggest we have some sort of curfew,” Celeste said. “Past the night time announcement no student should be out of their dorms.”

“That’s way too restrictive!” Yasuhiro complained.

“Maybe, if you’re a murderer.” Celeste responded.

“But what if we want-” Yasuhiro said, before getting interrupted by Kiyondo.

“Then it’s settled, so everyone listen up!” Kiyondo yelled. “Once ya hear the night time announcement you better get your butts to bed!”

“So now,” Kyoko said. “We must attempt to discover what new areas have opened up.”

“Yeah,” Junko said. “But there’s something that’s been bothering me about our newest revelation.”

“Then speak up!” Kiyondo yelled. “No one here is gonna read your mind you dumbbutt!”

“How did Hiro even discover _that_ anyways?” Junko asked. “I mean he had no real reason to be out, right?”

“H-huh?!” Yasuhiro asked. “Well, um, you see, every couple of years I have to go to a bathhouse and um…”

“ _And_ what?” Junko asked.

“And if I don’t, my success rate in predictions goes down!” Yasuhiro said. “It’s really bad and taxing, but it’s what a man has got to do.”

 _He can’t be serious… right?_ Makoto thought to himself.

“Isn’t your prediction rate already low?” Celeste asked.

“I’m right at least 30 percent of the time!” Yasuhiro argued.

“Guess someone missed the bathhouse ritual too many times,” Junko said. “If you believe in that bullshit anyways.”

“Alright!” Kiyondo yelled. “Back on topic! We must explore this fudgin’ school until we know all the odds and ends!”

“Alright!” Makoto said. “I’m pumped!”

“This is our only course of action,” Sakura said. “I’ll also see if there’s any hope of escape on the new floor.”

“Everyone split up!” Kiyondo yelled. “And don’t come back until you dumbbutts have explored everything there is to explore!”

Makoto walked out of the cafeteria. Monokuma hadn’t given them any hints on where to explore.

He was really on his own for this one.

Makoto decided the best place to check first was the third floor. It was almost guaranteed that it would be unlocked.

Making his way up the stairs, he stopped when he passed the pool’s door. The scratches were gone, almost like nothing had ever happened.

 _But that’s not true,_ Makoto thought to himself. _Chihiro, Hina, and Mondo are all gone, no amount of erasing could change that._

Makoto sighs. He knows that line of thinking isn’t going to get him anywhere. Stealing one more glance at the door, he makes his way up to the third floor.

As he made his way up, he noticed Sakura staring at the window annoyed.

“Any luck?” Makoto asked, although he already knew the answer.

“No,” Sakura replied. “It seems that escape on the third floor is also hopeless, as we feared.”

“The Mastermind really thought this through, huh?” Makoto asked.

“It seems, so.” Sakura said. “Good luck on your investigation.”

Sakura walked downstairs, trying to avoid any more conversation.

Makoto couldn’t blame her. She had lost Aoi only recently.

 _Alright,_ Makoto thought to himself. _Let’s get this over with!_

Makoto went to the first room he saw, which seemed to be a recreation room. Celeste was already exploring the area, seeming very interested in it.

“See anything interesting, Celeste?” Makoto asked.

“It seems we finally have entertainment,” Celeste responded. “That is something to celebrate, no?”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “Wait, are those magazines over there?”

“Puhuhuhu! What a sharp eye, Makoto!” Monokuma praised. “But don’t get your hopes up, those are the only magazines you’ll ever get to read!”

“They do not get updated weekly?” Celeste asked.

“Of course not!” Monokuma answered. “That’s a luxury only people outside of the school deserve!”

“Cruel of you, is it not?” Celeste asked. “Well, I suppose something is better than nothing.”

Monokuma only laughed as he disappeared.

“Nonetheless,” Celeste continued, “I suppose having something to do is better than nothing, wouldn’t you say, Makoto?”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked. “Well yeah, of course…”

“Well, there is much more to explore,” Celeste said, as she began to walk out. “And it seems we have such little time. So until later, Makoto.”

 _That sure was cryptic,_ Makoto thought. _Well I guess it is Celeste I’m talking to._

Makoto looked at the room once more.

The rec room had darts, othello, and a pool table. Makoto wondered if the magazines were worth reading but decided he didn’t have the time.

_I’ll come back here later, there has to be something worth looking at here._

Makoto walked out of the recreation room, deciding to make a turn into the hallway he had ignored before.

“More classrooms…?” Makoto questioned out loud.

“Duh!” Monokuma yelled, causing Makoto to jump back in fear. “This is a school, remember?!”

“Yeah… but I mean, it’s not like you’re teaching us anything…” Makoto replied, scratching his cheek sheepishly.

“I’m teaching you the danger of having friends!” Monokuma said. “It’s a dog eat dog world but that doesn’t apply to me because I’m a bear!”

“Do you have anything useful to say…?” Makoto asked.

“Wow, is our tiny little Makoto finally growing a spine?!” Monokuma asked. “Because if you are, you’re seriously a little late!”

“Um…”

“Anyways, I’ll leave you to explore this classroom!” Monokuma said before disappearing.

Makoto checked the classrooms. He quickly decided there was nothing of note in them other than the weird messages on their chalkboards.

 _Alright!_ Makoto thought. _There’s only a couple more rooms on this floor, right?_

Makoto checked his e-Handbook to confirm that there were only a couple rooms left on the floor.

The icon that was closest was an icon of a statue. If Makoto had to guess it was probably an art room of some sort.

Making his way to the room, he opened the door and saw two desks, some easels, and some statues.

“Hello, Mr. Naegi,” Hifumi said, “enjoying the finer arts?”

“Huh…? No not really,” Makoto replied. “I’m just exploring…”

“Well I’m for one glad this room exists,” Hifumi said. “It now allows me to make more fanwork!”

“Oh yeah…” Makoto said, “you didn’t have any art supplies with you, huh?”

“Unfortunately everything I had of value was taken by the wicked Mastermind!”

“Well, I’m glad the room is good for you,” Makoto said. “But what’s with that door over there?”

“Oh that’s the supply room,” Hifumi said casually. “I’ve already grabbed what I need from there for the time being.”

Makoto nodded before moving to the door and opening it.

Inside was a yellow room with a bunch of art materials, a statue, and some art on the wall.

After a quick glance on the floor, Makoto noticed a picture on the floor. Grabbing it to examine it Makoto realized it was Mondo, Leon and Chihiro.

 _Huh…? How is this possible?_ Makoto thought to himself. _I thought we all just met each other when the killing game started…?_

“Puhuhuhu! Our Makoto is looking at some scandalous material…!” Monokuma said, as he appeared.

“Monokuma!” Makoto yelled. “What is this?”

“What do you think it is?” Monokuma asked. “It’s a picture, you uneducated brat!”

“I can see that,” Makoto said. “But how are they hanging out…?!”

“Huh…?” Monokuma asked. “Well you see, it’s a very long story and we’re running a bit behind schedule!”

“Huh…?”

“Anyways, if you could just give me that…” Monokuma said as he took the picture from Makoto. “Have a nice life, Makoto!”

 _What the hell?!_ Makoto thought to himself. _How come he can just leave and not explain himself…?_

After staring at the spot where Monokuma just was, Makoto decided to leave the storage room.

When he came back into the art lab, Hifumi had already left.

 _Well,_ Makoto thought to himself, _other than that picture and the Monokuma statue I don’t think there’s anything of note in here_.

Checking his e-Handbook, Makoto realized he only had one place left to explore, leaving the art lab he made his way to the last room.

Checking the sign, he saw it read ‘Physics Lab’ _._

 _Guess there are more classrooms here,_ Makoto thought. _Not like we’re doing any learning in here._

As Makoto entered the room he could see both Yasuhiro and Kiyondo.

“Hey, Makoto, check it out!” Yasuhiro yelled. “It’s the Psychic’s Lab! Finally, the place for me!”

“Um… isn’t this the _**physics lab**_ …?” Makoto asked.

“Obviously it is,” Kiyondo said. “This dumbbutt just doesn’t know how to read.”

“Hey!” Yasuhiro said. “Don’t be mean! Now I need to find somewhere else to do my predictions…”

“Why don’t you do your ‘bath house ritual’, then?” Kiyondo asked. “You did fudging mention it before, right?”

“Huh…? The ‘bath house ritual’...? What are you talking about?” Yasuhiro asked.

 _Did he already forget his lie…?_ Makoto thought.

“Uh, anyways,” Makoto said. “What’s the big machine in the center?”

“Woah! That’s my time machine, so you better be careful!” Monokuma warned.

“Your time machine?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “That’s pretty impressive!”

“Hey, Taka,” Monokuma said. “Aren’t you interested in going back and saving your bro?”

“Obviously that’s not fudgin’ possible, you dumbbutt!” Kiyondo said. “What is it actually?”

“Aww, you saw through my lie too easily…” Monokuma sulked. “In actuality, it’s an air purifier so you freaks don’t die!”

“An air purifier?” Makoto asked.

“Haven’t you been wondering how you’ve been breathing in a locked space?” Monokuma said. “This place is shut tight, so this is the only way you losers can get oxygen!”

“Huh…?” Yasuhiro said. “But don’t you need air too?”

“Of course not, I’m a freakin’ bear!”

 _Um,_ Makoto thought. _Bears also need air…_

“Anyways,” Monokuma said. “If you want to keep living, don’t mess with that machine!”

“He’s gone again,” Yasuhiro said. “Man, I wonder where he gets off to…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kiyondo responded. “He should be the least of our fudgin’ worries.”

Makoto looked around and noticed a door at the back of the room, just like in the art room.

 _That’s probably another storage room, right?_ Makoto thought to himself. _Maybe I should ask anyways._

“Hey,” Makoto said. “Have either of you been in the room at the back?”

“Huh…? There’s a door over there?” Yasuhiro asked.

“No,” Kiyondo answered. “I fudgin’ haven’t.”

Makoto hummed, before deciding to head for the room.

 _Best not to leave any pebbles untouched_. Makoto thought to himself. _That’s the saying, right…?_

Once he made his way to the storage room, he noticed it was largely unremarkable. The room just screamed ‘boring’.

Or maybe that was just because he wasn’t into physics…

Makoto left the room as quickly as he entered.

“Nothing in there, then?” Kiyondo asked.

“No,” Makoto answered. “It’s just a plain old storage room if there ever was any.”

“Of fudgin’ course,” Kiyondo responded.

“Is there anything else I need to see here?” Makoto asked.

“No, you can leave now,” Kiyondo responded coldly.

Makoto frowned at Kiyondo’s response but left the room as suggested.

 _Alright, the third floor is done. Now let’s see what else has been unlocked!_ Makoto thought to himself.

Making his way back to the first floor, Makoto noticed that the door near the still blocked staircase was unlocked.

Makoto went inside and noticed it was full of random materials.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome!” Monokuma yelled. “This is the storage closet, filled with all the things you’d ever need and then some!”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked. “‘Filled with all the things you’d ever need’...?”

“Yep!” Monokuma said. “We here at Hope’s Peak Academy wish to make your stay a comfortable one.”

“So this place is just full of everything…?”

“Yep! Anything you could ever think of, although considering it’s _you_ I doubt you could think of much…”

“Hey…!”

“Anyways, enjoy exploring Makoto!” Monokuma said. “And don’t worry, everything here is free!”

Makoto decided not to bother looking around in the storage closet. He had the feeling he would get lost if he spent too much time there.

Just as Makoto left the storage closet, he was intercepted by Junko.

“Hey, Makoto,” Junko said. “Do y’wanna explore together?”

“Huh…? I’ve already explored the third floor and the storage closet.”

“Oh! That means you haven’t been at the nurse’s office yet, then,” Junko said. “I’ll take you there and we can do an ‘examination’.”

“Alright,” Makoto said. “Lead the way, then.”

Makoto and Junko made their way to the nurse’s office.

“So, Makoto,” Junko said. “What d’ya think?”

“It looks very sterile…?” Makoto said. “I’m assuming there’s medicine in here?”

“Yep!” Junko answered. “And sedatives for the desperate girl.”

Makoto walked towards the fridge and opened it.

“Huh…? Is this blood?” Makoto asked.

“Yep! According to Monokuma it’s for blood transfusions,” Junko said. “Although at that point I think you’d be considered dead.”

“I mean, at least it’s useful, right?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah,” Junko said. “I mean, I guess.”

“Anyways, Makoto, I think we’ve explored everything here,” Junko said. “So let’s head back together so we stay safe, alright?”

“That’s smart,” Makoto said. “Alright, to the cafeteria, right?”

“Yep, that’s where the meetings are held, anyways.”

Makoto and Junko headed back to the cafeteria, in which they were the last ones back.

“Oh? Junko and Makoto arriving at the same time?” Celeste asked. “You two weren’t doing anything, were you?”

“You two wouldn’t fudgin’ dare!” Kiyondo yelled. “That’s just not right!” “H-huh…?!” Makoto said. “What are you guys talking about?!”

“Hm,” Kyoko said. “No matter, let us just discuss what we discovered from our investigations.”

“It seems escape from the third floor is impossible, as we had feared,” Sakura said.

“Are the windows just as tight as before?!” Kiyondo asked.

“Yes,” Sakura said. “It seems unlikely that anything we do will get them to budge.”

“Speaking of the third floor,” Celeste began, “there seems to be a recreational room of sorts. I suppose that’s better than nothing, no?”

“A rec room?” Junko asked. “What’s in it?”

“An othello board, a pool table, a dartboard and a few magazines I believe,” Celeste responded.

“Magazines?” Kiyondo asked. “Is there any chance that we’ll be able to use ‘em to get access to the outside world?”

“No,” Celeste answered. “Monokuma has already confirmed that those are the only magazines we’ll be getting.”

“Dang it!” Kiyondo yelled.

“On the third floor there’s also an art lab,” Hifumi began. “Perfect for someone like me!”

“There’s also a storage room,” Makoto added. “Oh wait! That reminds me, I found an odd picture in there.”

“An odd picture?” Kiyondo asked. “Mac, you better fudgin’ explain…!”

 _Mac_? Makoto thought.

“Well, there was a picture of Mondo, Leon and Chihiro all hanging out in school uniforms…” Makoto said. “But that isn’t possible, right?!”

“Hm, and where is this picture now?” Celeste asked.

“Monokuma took it from me and left before I could ask any questions.”

“It was most obviously a forgery, Mr. Naegi!” Hifumi answered.

“Yeah, dude,” Yasuhiro said. “It was probably meant to give you doubt or whatever.”

“Moving on,” Kiyondo said. “There’s also a physics lab with a fudgin’ air purifier.”

“An air purifier?” Sakura asked. “I suppose that would mean that none of the air we’ve been breathing has been fresh.”

“That is worrying, is it not?” Celeste added. “If we’re breathing in recycled air, that means there really is no opening.”

“That has to be impossible!” Yasuhiro yelled. “There’s no way we’re trapped, right?!”

“Perhaps it’s not so bad,” Kyoko said. “That means the mastermind is trapped with us, correct?”

“I mean I guess,” Junko said. “But it’s not like they’re the one trapped inside a killing game, right?”

“Have there been any other discoveries of fudgin’ importance?” Kiyondo asked.

“There’s a storage closet near our dorms,” Makoto said. “Although I think it’s better if we call it a warehouse.”

“Why would you call it a warehouse, Mr. Naegi?” Hifumi asked.

“It’s pretty big and according to Monokuma it has everything you’d ever need and then some.”

“Woah, I wonder if it has more ‘interesting’ magazines…” Yasuhiro said.

“Fuckin’ gross, dude.” Junko responded.

“Stay on fudgin’ topic, dumbbutt!” Kiyondo yelled.

“Sorry, sorry,” Yasuhiro said.

“Oh and before we go to bed,” Junko said. “Makoto and I discovered that the nurse’s office is now officially open!”

“Is there any protein?” Sakura asked.

“No,” Makoto answered. “Just over the counter medication and sedatives.”

“Oh and don’t forget about the blood in the fridge!” Junko added.

“Disappointing,” Sakura said. “But not surprising.”

“Well then,” Kiyondo said. “That should conclude our meeting.”

“Remember, you dumbbutts better hit the sack as soon as Monokuma’s night time announcement plays or else I’ll beat ya!” Kiyondo said. “And also make sure to return here bright and early! Breakfast is very important!”

The class hummed in agreement and they all made their way out.

Makoto was making his way back to his room when the night time announcement played.

Feeling thoroughly exhausted, Makoto locked his door and threw himself onto his bed, quickly drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

Makoto awoke with a bolt, breathing quickly and grasping onto his sheets. He couldn’t remember much about the nightmare, other than Aoi pulling him into the pool and gargling incomprehensible threats to him.

As he realized that sleep was unlikely to come to him again, Monokuma’s morning announcement played.

Makoto shuffled his way into the shower and grimaced when the bathroom light turned on. Quickly showering he turned the lights off and changed into a fresh pair of clothes.

Makoto was the first one in the cafeteria, although he doubted that would be true for much longer.

Makoto turned around as he heard Celeste’s heels clicking on the cafeteria’s floor.

“Makoto, you’re up early, no?” Celeste asked, tilting her head ever so slightly.

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “There was no reason for me to stay in my room.”

“Oh?” Celeste asked. “Do you no longer like sleeping in?”

“It’s a long story,” Makoto replied, looking away. “Plus the sooner I can get to the meeting the better.”

“I suppose that is fair,” Celeste said. “But do be careful you’re getting enough sleep.”

Eventually everyone other than Kiyondo, Hifumi, Byakuya, and Toko made their way to the cafeteria.

“Is our leader skipping the morning meeting?!” Yasuhiro yelled out. “He must be possessed by a gh-ghost or something!”

“Will you shut up about ghosts?” Junko said. “He’s probably doing something ‘private’, if you catch my drift.”

“Still, for Kiyondo and Hifumi to be missing,” Sakura said. “This is worrying.”

“I don’t believe we should assume the worst,” Kyoko said. “After all, there’s no reason for anything to have gone wrong, yet.”

“Maybe we should look for them,” Makoto offered up. “It’s not like we have anything to discuss without them here anyways.”

“Perhaps we should go together as a group,” Celeste said. “I have a feeling I know where they are anyways.”

“Alright,” Junko said. “Lead the way then.”

Celeste led the group to the bath house which they could already hear a commotion inside.

“Sounds like some juicy stuff is happening in there!” Monokuma said, as he appeared. “You don’t think they’re doing anything ‘unwholesome’ in there, do you?”

“Don’t be crude, Monokuma,” Celeste said. “They’re probably brawling it out, no?”

“What are you brats even doing in there?!” Monokuma asked. “I’ve seen Hifumi and Kiyotaka going in there three times just last night!”

“Sounds like the Ultimate Moral Compass is breaking his own rules,” Junko said. “Guess he isn’t that good, right Makoto?”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked.

“You say they went in there last night?” Celeste asked. “Perhaps Yasuhiro’s theory was correct after all.” “You’re saying that Kiyondo was possessed by a gh-gh-ghost?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “I don’t wanna die!”

“Perhaps we should investigate,” Kyoko said. “We don’t know if Monokuma is telling the truth.”

“Hey-” Monokuma began but he was cut off by Sakura.

“You’re right,” Sakura said. “Let’s confirm the situation for ourselves.”

The class moved past Monokuma and went into the bath house. Kiyondo and Hifumi were fighting over Alter Ego, although they hadn’t touched it yet.

“Get out of the way you lard cake!” Kiyondo yelled. “You’re keeping me away from my bro!”

“Your ‘bro’...? Alter Ego is obviously my true love Mr. Ishida!” Hifumi yelled back.

“As if someone like them could love someone like you…!” Kiyondo yelled. “Taka and Mondo’s bond melted into me, I have the fudgin’ right to talk to him!”

“Your ‘bro’ is a fake! Unlike my love for them!”

“How about you say that again to my fudgin’ fist-”

“Will you two idiots shut the hell up?!” Celeste yelled. She looked slightly feral. “If you don’t keep your mouths closed, Monokuma is going to discover Alter Ego.”

 _Is Celeste okay…?_ Makoto thought. _Did she just lose her temper?_

“Huh?!” Both Kiyondo and Hifumi said, only now noticing that they had an audience.

“Monokuma is getting suspicious of the noise,” Makoto explained. “He’s bound to check here eventually.”

“Until Alter Ego can make those files accessible,” Kyoko said. “We should try to keep our time here limited.”

“That is the best course of action, no?” Celeste asked, as she tried to fix her appearance.

“Fudge,” Kiyondo said. “Now you’re gonna say you want us to stay away from the computer or whatever the heck.”

“That is the wisest course of action, no?” Celeste asked. “But you two will have to agree.”

“We already know you’ve broken rules to get into here as well,” Junko said. “Monokuma told us how you both entered here at odd hours of the night.”

“Are you sure this thing isn’t possessing you both?” Yasuhiro asked. “You guys have been acting super weird.”

“Don’t be fudgin’ ridiculous,” Kiyondo responded. “It was a one time slip, it won’t happen again.”

“How the mighty have fallen,” Junko said, as she pushed her hair onto her back. “Anyways, did you two idiots even check Alter Ego’s progress on the files?”

“We might’ve been a bit busy,” Kiyondo admitted. “But that doesn’t give you the right to fudgin’ judge me.”

“Well,” Celeste said. “Then we better ask Alter Ego about their progress then, no?”

Hifumi and Kiyondo moved out of Celeste’s way as she made her way to the computer.

“Hello, Alter Ego,” Celeste typed. “How is your progress on restoring the files?”

“It’s going well,” Alter Ego responded. “Although it might take a day or so longer…”

“Alright,” Celeste typed back. “Keep up the work, we don’t have much time, alright?”

“I’ll do my best!” Alter Ego responded eagerly.

“Then we best depart,” Celeste said. “We don’t want the Mastermind to get too suspicious, no?”

“What excuse are we going to use this time?” Junko asked.

“Perhaps we should blame it on Kiyondo and Hifumi,” Kyoko offered up. “They are the reason we are here right now.”

“Hey! It’s all Mr. Ishida’s fault! He’s keeping me from my true love!” Hifumi said.

“As if anyone could fudgin’ love you,” Kiyondo responded. “You’re the one keepin’ me from my bro.”

“Perhaps we should just drag them out and explain to Monokuma that they are enemies,” Sakura said. “It would not be far from the truth.”

“Maybe we should just say we were bathing?” Makoto said. “I mean, it’s what we’re supposed to be doing here, right?”

“That seems suitable enough,” Celeste said. “Perhaps we should say something of the likes of ‘that was a fun time bathing’.”

“I suppose if it's for Monokuma’s benefit,” Kyoko said. “That would be quite smart.”

“Well Hiro,” Junko said. “You’re the one who spends their time the most doing ‘bath house rituals’ maybe you should announce it.”

“Huh…? But what am I supposed to say?” Yasuhiro asked.

“I dunno, maybe something like ‘Wow, that was a great time at the bath!’,” Junko said. “Or something along those lines.”

“Wow! That was a great time at the bath!” Yasuhiro repeated loudly, as he walked towards the exit.

“God, that guy has no career in acting,” Junko said as she walked out after him.

The others followed after Yasuhiro and Junko as they headed back into the cafeteria.

“So, what the fudge did we miss?!” Kiyondo questioned.

“Nothing of extreme importance,” Celeste said. “We were just worried about the wellbeing of you both.”

“Still, perhaps we should be careful about the bath house now,” Kyoko said. “We do not want Monokuma peeking in at us during questionable times.”

“But it’s not like we can stand guard either,” Makoto added. “We all need to sleep and we have the night time rule in place for a reason.”

“Hm,” Celeste said. “Speaking of which, I find it quite irritating how two of us violated that rule.”

“I wouldn’t have to if that bucket of lard just let me see my fudging bro!” Kiyondo said.

“As if I’m to blame, Mr. Ishida,” Hifumi responded. “You’re the one stopping me!”

“We do not care who started it,” Celeste said. “We only care that you finish it and quickly.”

“Otherwise, perhaps we shall need to look for a new leader, no?” Celeste added.

“Hey! Don’t you dare think about fudgin’ replacing me.” Kiyondo said.

“Then you should step up,” Sakura said. “We are in a tough situation currently.”

“Is there anything else we need to discuss?” Yasuhiro asked. “This is kinda boring.”

“Well, does anyone else have anything to fudgin’ say?!” Kiyondo yelled.

The group stayed silent, having talked about everything of importance.

“Well then, this meeting is fudgin’ dismissed!” Kiyondo said. “Now you dumbbutts should get out of here.”

As everyone went to leave the cafeteria, Makoto was stopped by Celeste.

“Makoto,” Celeste began. “I was wondering if we could have a bit of a chat.”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked, “Sure, what about?”

“You see, I feel we don’t really know each other as well as we should,” Celeste said. “Since it seems we are stuck here for the foreseeable future, I wish to change that.”

“Huh…?” Makoto said. “I guess you’re right.”

“So,” Celeste said. “I think the best way to see into someone is to ask them about their romantic preferences, no?”

“H-huh…? My romantic preferences?”

“Don’t be so shy, Makoto,” Celeste said. “Everyone has preferences, no?”

“U-um, yeah I guess…” Makoto said. “You might as well ask away, then.”

“So,” Celeste began. “What kind of behaviors do you attribute to your perfect partner?”

“I guess they’d have to be someone who can take charge,” Makoto admitted. “I mean, they’re supposed to be your opposite, right?”

“Take charge?” Celeste asked. “Do you mean someone prone to leadership roles?”

“Huh…?” Makoto said. “Yeah, I guess…?”

“Is there anything else you might find desirable?”

“I guess… determination?” Makoto said. “I want someone who sticks to their beliefs.”

Celeste smiled before responding. “That is… admirable.”

“Any other questions?” Makoto asked.

“Ignoring the fact that we’re trapped here,” Celeste said. “Where would your perfect date location be?”

“Hm,” Makoto said. “I guess just a picnic?”

“A picnic? That is sort of cliche, no?”

“Haha, yeah…” Makoto said, scratching his cheek. “I don’t know, it just seems like the best place to have a date?”

“I suppose I cannot judge you on that,” Celeste said. “Is this a picnic in nature or anywhere…?”

“It’d probably be better inside,” Makoto admitted. “With my luck the weather would be extra bad…”

“You are the Ultimate Lucky Student, are you not?” Celeste asked. “Unless you’re implying your admittance was some sort of a fluke.”

“Honestly…? I don’t really know.”

“Hm,” Celeste said. “An interesting fact about you indeed, Makoto.”

“Moving on,” Celeste said. “Perhaps we should talk more about you, Makoto.”

“Huh…? More about me?” Makoto asked.

“What are your hobbies outside of the killing game?” Celeste asked. “You must enjoy some things, right?”

“I like the things that are currently popular,” Makoto said. “I guess you can say I stick to trends.”

“So you would want a partner equally as trendy?”

“I’m not so sure,” Makoto admitted. “I mean it would be nice to talk to them about what I like, but I wouldn’t want them to be interested in the same exact things.”

“Hm,” Celeste said. “So more of an ‘in-general’ thing then, yes?”

“Yeah.”

“Well I’m supposing you cannot do the things you usually do in this school, no?” Celeste asked. “What do you do around here?”

“I mostly talk to everyone else,” Makoto said. “I think it’s nice getting to know everyone.”

“So a people-pleaser, then,” Celeste said. “Unexpected but certainly not a bad thing.”

 _Huh…?_ Makoto thought. _Was that just an insult?_

“Hm, is there anything else you do?”

“Not really,” Makoto said. “Up until now, there wasn’t much to do… I might stop by at the rec room now, but I don’t see any other big change coming.”

“Well, since you interact with everyone so often, what are your thoughts about our ‘peers’...?”

“Hm,” Makoto said, putting one of his fingers to his lips. “I mean, Kyoko’s really a mystery to me, Sakura was a bit scary at first but I think she’s a good friend.”

“I have the feeling Kiyondo might dislike me but I was at least a little close with Taka,” Makoto continued, “Hifumi’s nice when he isn’t talking about 2D.”

“Yasuhiro I’m also a bit friendly with, although I could talk to him more. Junko is a good friend to me, she’s very supportive at the very least,” Makoto said. “You’re nice as well Celeste but I don’t know if we really know each other and I haven’t gotten the chance to interact with Byakuya and Toko.”

“I suppose that all makes sense,” Celeste said. “Thank you for this enlightening conversation, Makoto.”

“Of course…?” Makoto responded.

“Until we meet again, Makoto.”

Celeste walked off after checking her e-Handbook.

Makoto decided to head to his room while he decided who else he would hang out with.

He had a couple of options, but he wasn’t sure he was feeling all too well. Now that he had time to think his nightmare came back to him in full force and it wasn’t the most pleasant thing to remember.

Before he could decide what he was going to do with his time, Makoto heard a knocking on the door.

Opening the door, Makoto discovered that his visitor was none other than Junko Enoshima.

 _Is she blushing…?_ Makoto thought.

“Hey, Makoto,” Junko said quickly. “Um, wow you’re looking pretty great.”

“Are you feeling okay, Junko?”

“Yeah, I think I could really go for a picnic or something,” Junko said. “That’s the sorta thing that’s great, right?”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Um,” Junko said. “I mean I think we really need to do something about our current situation.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, someone needs to step up as a leader because I think it’s kinda obvious Kiyondo really isn’t gonna…” Junko explained.

“Do you have any ideas on who that leader could be?” Makoto asked.

“Um, maybe me,” Junko said. “Boys do like a girl in charge, right?”

“I think it depends…?” Makoto asked. “It’s a preference and everything, right?”

Junko stared at him for a moment, before frowning.

“I’ve got to talk to someone,” Junko said. “We’ll uh, talk later, I guess…”

 _That was really weird…_ Makoto thought. _Does she have a fever or something?_

Makoto decided to brush off Junko’s weird behavior for the time being. He wanted to get out and talk to someone else.

Makoto left his room and checked his e-Handbook. Surprisingly the only people near him were Celeste and Junko, both in the cafeteria.

Makoto decided to head towards the cafeteria, as he was feeling a bit hungry.

Once Makoto entered the cafeteria, their conversation stopped.

“Ah, Makoto,” Celeste said. “Are you here for a snack?”

“Um, yeah,” Makoto said. “I’m feeling a bit hungry.”

“Well, while you're eating, let us talk,” Celeste said. “We have much to discuss, yes?”

“Huh? We do?” Makoto asked.

“There’s an endless supply, really,” Celeste answered. “I’ll wait for you while you prepare a meal.”

Makoto entered the kitchen area and checked the fridge. Seeing a microwavable meal inside, Makoto decided to cook it.

When Makoto exited the kitchen, Junko was already gone.

“Ah, Makoto,” Celeste said. “Please do sit down, I have something of importance I must say to you.”

“‘Something of importance’...?” Makoto echoed. “Did something happen?”

“It is becoming clearer that our continued existence might be hindered,” Celeste began. “After all, we have already witnessed two class trials.”

“I want to believe that all of us can make it out of here,” Makoto responded. “But it might be impossible that we won’t face another class trial again.”

“Besides that,” Celeste said. “You’ve already missed your second chance at romance, no?”

“Huh..?” Makoto asked. “What do you mean?”

“First with Sayaka,” Celeste said. “Which I suppose wasn’t really your fault, no?”

Pausing to take a sip of tea, Celeste continued.

“And then with Hina,” Celeste said. “You did know that she was interested in you, no?”

“Huh… Sayaka and Hina were interested in me…?”

“You truly did not notice?” Celeste asked. “I suppose you are about to tell me you did not notice other people getting together as well.”

“Huh…?” Makoto said. “Other people are getting together…?!”

“You did not notice it, then,” Celeste said. “Out of respect for their privacy I will not tell you who, of course.”

“That’s fine,” Makoto said as he awkwardly scratched his cheek. “But what’s the point in bringing up failed romances now?”

“I believe that love is still in your cards,” Celeste answered. “Of course that only applies if you notice it, no?”

“You mean… someone is going to ask me out?”

“Think of it with an open mind,” Celeste said, as she got up with her cup of tea. “A relationship is beneficial for several reasons, no?”

Makoto stared into his food as he heard Celeste leave.

 _Am I ready for a relationship?_ Makoto thought. _I guess I’ll just have to wait and find out._

After finishing his meal, Makoto cleaned up and walked back to his room. He started to fall asleep just as Monokuma’s night time announcement played.

“So you’re here again,” Sayaka’s voice whispered into his ear. “You’ve come to watch another girl die, right?”

“Sayaka…?” Makoto asked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“I can already see you betraying someone again,” Sayaka said. “I’m a psychic, you know.”

“I don’t…”

“Do you really not know?” Sayaka asked. “You watched me get executed and then you saw Hina’s body floating in the pool.”

“I’m sorry,” Makoto said. “I didn’t know this was going to happen.”

“Are you really sorry?” Sayaka asked. “Look down at your hands, and see all the blood.”

Makoto did as he was told, his hands were dripping with blood. It was almost enough to make him sick.

“Of course,” Sayaka began. “You don’t feel bad at all, do you?”

Makoto awoke to Monokuma’s morning announcement.

Makoto realized he was hyperventilating. He fell out of his tangled sheets and made his way to the bathroom.

During his shower, Makoto made sure to scrub his hands until they were red, although he wasn’t sure if that made things better or worse.

Makoto made his way to the cafeteria and soon after the morning meeting began.

“So!” Kiyondo began. “What new information have we fudgin’ discovered?”

“Nothing much,” Kyoko said. “Things have been thankfully uneventful.”

“Perhaps we should all convene at the bath house tonight,” Celeste said. “I think it would be a wonderful bonding experience.”

“You mean we get to see…” Hifumi began before being cut off by Celeste.

“Yes,” Celeste said.

“Anyways, I have a complaint to make,” Junko said. “I think we should get a new leader.”

“Huh…?!” Kiyondo yelled. “Do you have a fudgin’ problem with my leadership or somethin’?!”

“Yeah, actually I do,” Junko said. “You’re totally unreliable, you’re fighting with Hifumi one moment and the next moment you’re lusting over your lost bro or whatever.”

“What are you fudgin’ saying?!”

“Not only that,” Junko said. “But you’ve already broken a rule we’ve established between ourselves.”

Before Kiyondo could respond, Makoto interrupted.

“Hey,” Makoto said. “I think that’s enough.”

“Huh…?” Junko said. “You’re telling me you actually agree with his leadership?”

“As if I want Mac’s ideas on this,” Kiyondo said.

“I’m just saying that fighting isn’t going to solve anything,” Makoto said. “Let’s just try to keep the peace, alright?”

“But he’s got no respect for us,” Junko said. “The only person he cares about is long dead.”

“Shut it, Junk!” Kiyondo yelled. “You’re not gonna have your takeover.”

“Junk…?” Junko asked. “Are you calling me trash you albino rat?!”

“This isn’t going to happen again,” Sakura said. “We’re supposed to be co-existing, not killing each other.”

“Technically…” Monokuma began as he appeared. “This is a killing game, so feel free to off each other!”

“Monokuma!” Yasuhiro yelled. “H-how did you get here….?!”

“The same way he appears every time,” Kyoko said. “This shouldn’t be surprising.”

“Perhaps he’s a little slow, no?” Celeste said.

“Anyways, I’m enjoying the fights you all keep having,” Monokuma said. “So if you all could keep that up, it would make your headmaster beary happy!”

“No one asked you, Monokuma,” Sakura replied.

“In fact we will fudging get along just to spite you!” Kiyondo added. “Right, Junk?”

“Don’t call me that,” Junko responded.

“Have fun, kids!” Monokuma said before disappearing.

“That seems to conclude the morning meeting,” Kyoko said. “I suppose we should be careful in these coming days.”

“Do you think something bad will happen?” Makoto asked.

“I’m not sure,” Kyoko said. “But I am sure the motive will be revealed to us sooner than later.”

As the class went to leave the cafeteria, Makoto was once again stopped on his way out.

“Hey Makoto,” Junko said. “Could we talk for a bit?”

“Huh…?” Makoto said. “Sure, of course.”

“Anyways, let’s head to your room,” Junko said. “I want it to be private, alright?”

“Huh...? My room?” Makoto asked. “Shouldn’t it be yours?”

“Already trying to get in my room?” Junko asked. “Damn Makoto, I didn’t know you were a pervert.”

“N-no…!” Makoto yelled. “I’m just saying, there’s nothing in my room, so wouldn’t it be easier to go to yours?”

“If we’re being honest,” Junko said. “My room has nothing in it as well, so we’re not losing anything going to your room instead.”

“Alright then,” Makoto said. “I’ll lead the way.”

Makoto led Junko to his room.

“Alright, Makoto,” Junko said. “Let’s talk about our interests.”

 _This again…?_ Makoto thought. _First Celeste and now Junko, I wonder if there’s a connection._

“So, um,” Junko began. “I really like picnicking, but sadly there’s like nowhere to do it in this school.”

“Yeah, there would probably be no room here.” Makoto said. “Although I guess if you’re desperate you could probably do it in the cafeteria or something.”

“And get yelled at by Kiyondo?” Junko said. “As if, plus it isn’t as romantic if you’re doing it in a shitty school cafeteria.”

“Romantic?” Makoto echoed.

“Yeah, like first date kinda things.” Junko said. “You know, the perfect girl for you would probably take you on a picnic.”

“The perfect girl for me…?” Makoto asked. “You’re still thinking about matching me up with someone when we get out of here?”

“Yep,” Junko answered. “Damn Makoto, the girl I’m thinking of would wait on you hand and foot. Isn’t that the life?”

“I mean, I guess…?” Makoto said, as he scratched his cheek awkwardly. “Speaking of relationships, Celeste also had a conversation about them with me last night.”

“Huh…?” Junko said. “What did she say?”

“She said she thought it was important for me to get in a relationship,” Makoto said. “Since I’ve already missed my shot twice.”

“She’s probably right you know,” Junko said. “You need someone to take charge for you and keep you fired up.”

“Um… do I really?”

“Yep!” Junko said. “Plus you’ve gotta get over Taka and fast.”

“H-hey…! I’ve told you before I don’t have a crush on Taka.”

“Yeah yeah, sure,” Junko said. “He’s lusting over his dead bro and he’s totally changed anyways. Seriously who the hell calls a girl ‘Junk’?!”

“I mean he’s started calling me ‘Mac’,” Makoto said. “And that’s a bit annoying, so I can see where you’re coming from.”

“So yeah,” Junko said. “But I bet you’re wanting a relationship while we’re in the killing game, huh?”

 _Am I?_ Makoto thought. _I haven’t really thought about it much, even after Celeste brought it up._

“It’d be safer, right?” Makoto said. “But just getting into a relationship because of that feels… wrong, you know?”

“Yeah,” Junko said. “But, I’ve gotta prepare you for the real girl I’m setting you up with.”

“H-huh…? ‘Prepare me’?”

“Yep!” Junko said. “So let’s just say you’re off the market for now, alright?”

“W-wait, how are you so sure she’ll accept being set up with me?”

“I’ve just got a good feeling, y’know?” Junko said. “So, don’t start dating anyone Makoto or you might just break her heart!”

“Um… alright then.”

“Alright Makoto,” Junko said. “I’m off now, this conversation has made me feel a hell of a lot better.”

Junko left Makoto’s room shortly after, leaving Makoto to his own devices.

 _Alright, let’s check the e-Handbook and see where everyone is_. Makoto thought.

Kiyondo was located in his, or rather, Kiyotaka’s room.

 _Alright,_ Makoto thought to himself. _I’ve got to talk to Kiyondo eventually, right?_

Makoto made his way to Kiyotaka’s room. He hesitantly knocked and Kiyondo opened the door.

“What do _you_ want, Mac?” Kiyondo asked. “Can’t you see I’m fudgin’ busy?!”

“Huh… you’re busy…?” Makoto said. “And anyways, I only wanted to talk.”

“Pff, as if I’d ever waste my time on a buttface like you.”

“Um, alright then,” Makoto said, as he turned to walk away.

“Wait! I’ve changed my fudgin’ mind,” Kiyondo yelled. “I guess we can hang out or whatever the heck.”

 _Huh…?_ Makoto thought. _I thought he didn’t want me here…?_

Makoto was dragged into Kiyotaka’s room by an annoyed Kiyondo.

“So what the heck do you even want to talk about?” Kiyondo asked.

“I want to get to know you better,” Makoto admitted.

Kiyondo only stared at him.

“So um,” Makoto began, awkwardly. “Do you have any of the same interests that Mondo had?”

“Of course I fudgin’ do!” Kiyondo yelled. “Bro is a part of me, now and forever.”

“So I guess you’d know a lot about motorcycles…?”

“Duh,” Kiyondo answered. “Why do _you_ have any knowledge on bikes, Mac?”

“I mean, I guess…?” Makoto said, as he scratched his cheek. “I mean I was almost hit by a motorcyclist a few times. That counts… right?”

“ _ **WHAT?!**_ ” Kiyondo yelled. “You were almost fudgin’ hit by motorcycles?!”

“Several times,” Makoto said, laughing awkwardly. “I mean, I always dodged out of the way, so that’s the important part, right…?”

“Why are you the one fudging dodging them?!” Kiyondo yelled. “Do you purposely stand in their way or some other fudged up thing?!”

“N-no…?” Makoto said. “I just have very bad luck, I guess.”

“And here you had me all worried over nothing at all,” Kiyondo said. “What the heck.”

“Sorry… I guess?” Makoto said.

Kiyondo just huffed and looked away.

 _Man, he’s really hard to talk to,_ Makoto thought. _Does he really hate me that much?_

“Anyways,” Makoto said, trying his hardest to make conversation. “How much do you know about gangs?”

“What the heck even is that question?!” Kiyondo asked. “My bro was the leader of a biker gang so what the fudge do you think?!”

“Um, I guess a lot…?”

“How much do you fudging know, Mac?”

“I’ve only really seen gangs on TV,” Makoto said, as he reached for his cheek once again. “So I’m not very knowledgeable.”

“Fudging heck, you’re as dumb as Hiro!”

“H-huh…?” Makoto said. “I don’t think not knowing-”

“I don’t even know why I fudgin’ tried to talk to you,” Kiyondo said. “Do you have anything worth saying?!”

“I guess not…?”

“Then get the heck out of my room, you dumbbutt!”

Makoto awkwardly left Kiyotaka’s room, disappointed in himself for the lack of results.

 _I don’t know how I’m supposed to make any progress with him,_ Makoto thought to himself glumly. _But at least I know for sure that he probably hates me._

Makoto frowned, not knowing what else to do. Luckily for him, he remembered that the class was going to hold a meeting over Alter Ego.

 _I might as well head there early,_ Makoto thought.

When Makoto made his way into the bath house he was surprised to see Kyoko already there.

“Makoto,” Kyoko said. “I see you’ve arrived early as well.”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “But we’re a bit too early, aren’t we?”

“It’s best that we arrive before Kiyondo and Hifumi do,” Kyoko said. “We’ve already seen what they can do when left unattended.”

“It’s worrying isn’t it?” Celeste said as she came in. “I wonder if the Mastermind will prey on this new-found weakness.”

“That would mean that the Mastermind knows about Alter Ego, right?” Makoto asked.

“It’s stupid of us to believe the Mastermind isn’t curious about why we’ve all been coming here,” Celeste said. “We should keep our guard up, Monokuma does have legs, no?”

“I suppose you’re right,” Kyoko said. “But speaking of this meeting and Alter Ego, is this a full class meeting?”

“You mean Byakuya and Toko?” Makoto asked.

“I suppose we should invite them,” Celeste said. “It would be rude of us otherwise, no?”

“It’s unlikely that they’d listen, right?” Makoto said. “And it’s not like we can give out any information without the Mastermind finding out.”

“Perhaps if we’re discreet enough Byakuya will pick it up,” Kyoko said. “And anywhere he goes Toko is sure to follow.”

“But someone has to extend the invite, no?” Celeste said. “It is unlikely for ‘mind-reader’ to be in Byakuya’s skill set.”

“Hey, what are we talking about?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “Are we finally bathing together?”

“No,” Celeste said. “We’re having our meeting, or at least waiting for everyone to come.”

“Aww, so we aren’t bathing together…?” Yasuhiro asked.

“You really thought we were…?” Makoto replied.

“Of course,” Yasuhiro yelled. “Don’t be mean!”

“Did you really forget about the computer?” Kyoko asked.

“H-huh…?!” Yasuhiro said. “Of course not!”

“I suppose if we are picking a messenger, it shouldn’t be Hiro, no?” Celeste said.

“Perhaps we could ask Sakura or Junko,” Kyoko said.

“I could go,” Makoto said. “It’s not like we have anything better to do, right?”

“That is a wise plan,” Celeste said. “Remember Makoto, you must be discreet about it, yes?”

“Of course,” Makoto said. “The last thing we want is the Mastermind finding out about Alter Ego.”

Makoto exited the bath house and just like expected, after checking his e-handbook he discovered Byakuya was in the library.

Makoto made his way to the second floor, power-walking past the pool’s door and went straight into the library.

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “What do _you_ want, Makoto?”

“There’s something I need to discuss with you,” Makoto said. “It has something to do with the sauna.”

“Is this your way of flirting, Makoto?” Byakuya asked. “Because you’re pitifully bad at it.”

“N-no…!” Makoto yelled. “It has nothing to do with that at all!”

Just as Makoto yelled that, Toko came marching in.

“M-makoto..! A-are you trying to get y-your hands all over my M-master…?!” Toko yelled. “B-because I won’t let you!”

“No way!” Makoto yelled. “There’s just a group bonding activity in the sauna, I think you both could benefit from coming.”

“I see,” Byakuya said. “I suppose everyone else is already involved?”

“Exactly,” Makoto said. “You’re not _required_ but I think you both should come.”

“I g-get to see M-master shirtless…?” Toko drooled. “S-someone pinch me, I must be d-dreaming…”

“Shut up,” Byakuya said. “Fine, in a few minutes you will see that I will at least arrive.”

“Thank you,” Makoto said.

“I’m not doing this for you, idiot.”

Makoto made his way back down to the bath house, where he could hear a fight already beginning.

“What do you mean we can’t touch Alter Ego?!” Hifumi complained as Makoto entered.

“That is exactly what it means,” Celeste said. “You do understand words, correct?”

“There’s no getting down and dirty with Alter Ego,” Junko said. “Even if it could, I’m sure it has higher standards than either of you.”

“What the fudge are you implying?!” Kiyondo yelled.

“I think it’s pretty obvious,” Junko said. “Or can you not see beyond the image of Mondo?”

“Hey--” Kiyondo began only to be cut off by Celeste.

“That is enough, no?” Celeste said. “Petty squabbling will do us no good, will it?”

“It seems every idiot has arrived,” Byakuya said. “What is so important that you had to interrupt my reading time?”

“W-wait,” Toko said. “I’m n-not going to s-see Master shirtless…?!” “There is something we discovered, recently,” Kyoko said. “We believe it holds pertinent information that may relate to why we are trapped here.”

“Are you talking about the computer?” Byakuya asked. “If so, you must think that I am an idiot.”

“Huh…?!” Makoto yelled. “You already knew about Alter Ego?”

“Is that what it’s called?” Byakuya said. “No matter. Yes, I already knew about it.”

“I am p-proud to announce that I i-informed Master of it,” Toko added dreamily.

“Master…?” Junko asked.

“You mean you discovered it?” Celeste asked. “Pardon my rudeness but I cannot imagine a reason why you would enter the bath house after the last class trial.”

“H-hey!” Toko yelled. “Wouldn’t y-you investigate a m-mysterious green light…?!”

“So it seems you discovered Alter Ego the same way Hiro did,” Kyoko said. “I wonder if it was trying to announce its location…”

“Huh…? Why would it want to be caught?” Yasuhiro asked. “Unless it’s working for the Mastermind…!”

“Wouldn’t you be worried about your creator if you hadn’t heard from them for a while?” Kyoko asked. “It was probably in its coding to try to locate Chihiro.”

“Chihiro must’ve forgotten to mention that it should stay discreet,” Celeste commented. “Or perhaps it was desperate.”

“We do know Chihiro gave it the task of making those files visible,” Sakura added. “Perhaps it wanted to update Chihiro on its progress.”

“You’re saying that ‘Alter Ego’ is uncorrupting the files on the computer?” Byakuya asked.

“Yes,” Celeste answered. “That is the main reason why we called you here.”

“I don’t understand why we need him fudgin’ here,” Kiyondo complained. “It’s not like he’s interested in working with us as a group.”

“And who are you to talk to me like that?” Byakuya asked. “Especially when you look like _that_.”

“I’m fudging Kiyondo Ishida and I’ll kick your butt if you dare speak down to me!”

“Maybe we should break it up,” Makoto offered. “We still have to check Alter Ego’s progress on the files, right?”

“An excellent point, Makoto,” Celeste said. “If there are no objections I will ask Alter Ego on its progress.”

After no objections were held, Celeste began typing to Alter Ego.

“Alter Ego,” Celeste typed. “What is your progress on the files?”

“I’m glad to announce that they are finally able to be accessed!” Alter Ego said. “However, the information is a bit worrying.”

“If Alter Ego is worried,” Hifumi said. “We’re all doomed…!”

“Shut up and let the program explain to us,” Byakuya said.

“W-what Master said…” Toko added.

“You also shut up.”

“Could you tell us the contents of these files?” Celeste typed.

“Sure,” Alter Ego said. “Apparently over a year ago, Hope’s Peak Academy was forced out of commission.”

“That we already know,” Byakuya said.

“Not exactly,” Sakura said. “Our current timeline doesn’t add up with that.”

“If Hope’s Peak Academy was forced to shut down a fudgin’ year ago, why the heck are we here now?!” Kiyondo yelled.

“Alter Ego, are you sure this is correct?” Celeste typed. “We were all admitted this year, so it wouldn’t make sense for it to have shut down a year ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Alter Ego said. “But according to the files, Hope’s Peak Academy hasn’t been in operation for at least a year.”

“That should be impossible,” Kyoko said. “But we’ve already gotten ourselves into a very impossible situation.”

“Is there a reason for a school as big as Hope’s Peak to close down?” Makoto asked. “I mean, they were the most prestigious school in the world, right?”

“Do you know the reason why Hope’s Peak shut down?” Celeste typed into the computer.

“Apparently there was an event called the ‘Tragedy’ that took place,” Alter Ego responded. “There’s not a lot of information on it other than it being a devastating event.”

“The Tragedy?” Junko asked. “What a lousy descriptor for an event.”

“I agree!” Kiyondo yelled. “When you’re writing fudgin’ history you gotta make it memorable!”

“Perhaps the Mastermind left out certain details on purpose,” Sakura said. “There is no reason for us to assume otherwise.”

“Of course,” Byakuya said. “This is a game of wit.”

“Mr. Togami, why do you say that like you’re enjoying it?” Hifumi asked.

“Because I am, you idiot,” Byakuya answered. “This is something truly worthy of a Togami.”

“Someone has a murder kink,” Junko said.

“What did you just say to me?” Byakuya asked.

“Moving on,” Celeste said. “There is probably more information in these files, no?”

“Is there anything else of note?” Celeste typed.

“Yes, something extremely worrying,” Alter Ego responded. “I have reason to believe the headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy is still in this school.”

“Huh…?!” Makoto cried out.

“What…?” Kyoko questioned.

“What do you mean?” Celeste typed.

“Apparently during the Tragedy the headmaster had the school fortified to be practically impenetrable.” “Like the situation we currently find ourselves in,” Sakura said. “Perhaps we should inquire more about this.”

“Are you implying that the Headmaster fortified this school to trap us in here?” Celeste typed.

“I’m not sure,” Alter Ego said. “However the situations seem eerily similar.”

“Even so, we weren’t here a year ago, right?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “That we know for sure, right?!”

“We couldn’t have been here a year ago,” Junko said. “We’ve only entered High School this year, obviously.”

“Perhaps the Mastermind has planted misinformation,” Byakuya said. “Are you idiots really falling for this?”

“Hey! Don’t call us fudging idiots!” Kiyondo yelled. “Because you’re the fudging idiot you dumbbutt!”

“Shut up,” Byakuya said. “You don’t have the right to speak to me like that.”

“Mr. Togami, how could you imply that Alter Ego could lie about something?!” Hifumi sobbed.

“Take your complaints elsewhere,” Byakuya replied.

“I mean, the Mastermind wants this to be a fair game, right?” Makoto offered. “They have to be giving us some information.”

“There is probably some information we can trust,” Kyoko said. “We know the school is boarded up…”

“So perhaps the Headmaster is still here, no?” Celeste added.

“It would make the most sense for them to be the Mastermind,” Sakura said.

Kyoko looked away, clenching her fist slightly before responding, “We shouldn’t make those assumptions this early.”

“I wonder,” Celeste began, “If this computer contained this information if there’s anything else we may find on it.”

“Would Chihiro really have Alter Ego leave out information?” Makoto asked. “It would’ve helped him too.”

“You really believe he intended to share the information Alter Ego discovered?” Byakuya asked. “You really are an idiot.”

“It would fit Chihiro’s character,” Sakura said. “He always seemed eager to prove himself.”

Kiyondo looked uncomfortable, Makoto noticed.

“Alright!” Kiyondo yelled. “Do we have any more questions?!”

“Can I talk to Alter Ego now?!” Hifumi asked.

“Perhaps not,” Celeste said. “However, there is something else we must share with Byakuya and Toko.”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked.

“We now have a ‘night-time’ rule,” Celeste explained. “During the night, no student should be outside of their dorm.”

“And you expect me to follow this?” Byakuya asked. “Tch, the nerve.”

“Of course not,” Celeste replied evenly. “However, you cannot claim that you were unaware of it anymore.”

“Will you unhand my fudging bro?!” Kiyondo yelled, glaring daggers at Hifumi.

“Alter Ego isn’t yours!” Hifumi yelled back. “She’s mine and only mine!”

“Um, I think we discussed this before but isn’t Alter Ego technically a guy…?” Makoto said.

“Mr. Naegi!” Hifumi yelled. “Who said that you could get involved with matters of the heart?”

“Alter Ego is very important to all of us,” Makoto said. “Isn’t it important that we don’t get him involved in our matters?”

“Are you saying that you don’t think Alter Ego is alive, Mr. Naegi?!”

“H-huh…?” Makoto said. “All I’m saying is that we probably shouldn’t be involving Alter Ego in things like this.”

“Leave Mac alone!” Kiyondo yelled. “He’s just trying to save bro and Chihiro from having you slobber all over them.”

 _That wasn’t entirely my intention…_ Makoto thought. _But thanks for sticking up for me, I guess?_

“A computer is introduced and you’re already at each other’s necks like wild dogs,” Byakuya said. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected any less.”

“Shut the fudge up, Byakuya!” Kiyondo yelled. “Guys like you are all talk and no fudgin’ action!”

Byakuya looked insulted. “You all should be thankful for my presence, but instead you act like idiots.”

After insulting the group one last time, Byakuya left in a hurry.

“Y-you…!” Toko yelled, pointing at Kiyondo. “D-don’t think I’ll let you g-get away w-with insulting M-master…!”

“You’re a fudgin’ idiot if you think he respects you!”

Toko only glared in response before she turned and chased after Byakuya.

“Well that could’ve gone better, no?” Celeste asked. “Perhaps it is time we head for bed anyways.”

“Of course, Kiyondo and Hifumi should leave first,” Kyoko said. “They have proven that this computer is too compelling for them to follow simple directions.”

“Hey!” Kiyondo yelled. “It’s my fudging bro and it was one time!”

“Apparently it was several,” Kyoko said. “According to Monokuma, anyway.”

“You’re trusting that dumb fudgin’ bear over us?!”

“Your behavior seems to line up with his accusation,” Sakura said. “It would be easier for you two to leave anyways.”

“You guys need to build up rapport with the group,” Junko said. “Or you’ll forever be known as the computer freaks.”

“You don’t think they did anything weird with Alter Ego, right…?” Yasuhiro asked.

“Perhaps it’s better if we don’t find out,” Celeste responded.

Kiyondo and Hifumi flushed bright red and out of embarrassment left the bath house.

The rest of the class disbanded and went back to their own dorms.

Makoto glared at his bed as the night time announcement played.

 _Alright,_ Makoto thought. _Let’s see what nightmares await me tonight._

“Makoto,” a feminine voice began. “Did you think I was weak?”

Turning around to meet the voice, Makoto saw Chihiro. His neck was bruised and his eyes were glossy.

“Of course you did,” Chihiro answered before Makoto could say anything. “Everyone always thought I was weak.”

“That’s not true!” Makoto yelled. “You wanted to improve yourself, I can’t think of anything stronger.”

“And yet you’re trying to date my killer's lover,” Chihiro said. “You really have no respect for the dead, huh?”

“H-huh…? Chihiro what are you talking about?”

“He’s talkin’ about Taka, fucker,” Mondo answered.

When Makoto faced Mondo, he found that Mondo looked like himself and not butter.

“You think that now that I’m gone you can just fuckin’ take over my spot, huh?” Mondo asked. “Well guess what, that ain’t gonna happen.”

“I think you’re confused,” Makoto said. “I don’t like Taka like that, I’m just his friend.”

“So,” Chihiro said. “That’s how you’ve been surviving this long, denial.”

“What?” Makoto asked.

“It’s plain as fuckin’ day,” Mondo said. “You’re head over heels for him, too bad he’s into me, right?”

“You guys are wrong!” Makoto yelled. “I’m sorry that you’re dead, but, you’re wrong about that.”

“Whatever the hell you say,” Mondo said. “But remember you’re no better than me, Makoto.”

“Huh…?”

“You got two people fuckin’ killed so far, Sayaka and I,” Mondo said. “So who’s next?”

“I didn’t mean to…” Makoto mumbled, staring at the ground. “It was either you guys or us.”

“What an odd way to justify it,” Chihiro said. “Whatever helps you sleep better at night, right…?”

Before Makoto could respond, he was awoken by the Monokuma’s morning announcement.

 _That wasn’t as bad as I thought,_ Makoto thought. _Things are finally starting to look up._

Makoto made his way to the cafeteria finding that Kiyondo and Celeste were already there.

“Hello Makoto,” Celeste said.

“Mac,” Kiyondo acknowledged.

“Hey,” Makoto said. “How did you guys sleep?”

“I slept fine,” Celeste said. “Much more peaceful knowing that no one can die at night anymore.”

“That implies that rich kid is gonna fudgin’ follow our rules,” Kiyondo huffed. “I wouldn’t bet even Mac’s life on that.”

“H-hey…!” Makoto responded.

“Who would kill him?” Celeste asked. “I doubt Toko would ever harm him and that’s the only other person who wouldn’t be following the rule.”

“I guess not, but heck,” Kiyondo said. “That girl is totally fudgin’ obsessed with Byakuya.”

“Isn’t she calling him ‘Master’ now?” Makoto asked. “I wonder what sparked that.”

“Perhaps they have bonded,” Celeste offered. “Even Byakuya can’t stay alone forever.”

As the rest of the class, excluding Byakuya and Toko, came into the cafeteria another meeting began and ended without much fanfare.

After the meeting, Makoto went back to his room.

 _Huh,_ Makoto thought. _I wonder who I can hang out with?_

Makoto checked his e-Handbook, the closest person was Kyoko, as she was outside the bath house.

Makoto walked near the bath house before getting stopped by Kyoko.

“Going to bathe?” Kyoko asked coldly.

“No,” Makoto said. “Actually I wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh,” Kyoko answered. “I hope you don’t mind but I don’t want to leave my current position.”

“No, that’s fine,” Makoto said. “We can talk here if it’s okay with you.”

Kyoko looked at the bath house entrance before sighing. “Yeah, that should be fine.”

“I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while,” Makoto began. “But, wow you are really good at investigating.”

“Is that so?” Kyoko asked.

“Yep!” Makoto answered. “In fact, if I had to guess your talent I would say it’s the Ultimate Detective or something close.”

“Hm,” Kyoko said. “I’m afraid my talent is still a secret, so I won’t confirm or deny your guess.”

“Well that’s fine,” Makoto answered. “It’s more fun to guess than to actually know.”

“Is that so?” Kyoko asked. “I suppose one could say making the theory is much more fun than proving it.”

“Exactly!” Makoto said. “Especially in our situation.”

“Speaking of our situation,” Kyoko said. “Makoto, I must commend you on your ability to bring the group together.”

“Huh…?”

“You believe whole-heartedly in everything,” Kyoko said. “That’s a respectable ability.”

“Hina told me that,” Makoto said. “I’m not so sure I believe it.”

“But,” Kyoko said. “Perhaps you should be careful with it.”

“Careful…?” Makoto echoed. “What do you mean?”

“The bigger you are,” Kyoko began, “the larger you fall.” “Huh?”

“Keep your beliefs reasonable, Makoto,” Kyoko explained. “We are in a killing game, it is not unreasonable to expect the worst.”

“I can see where you’re coming from,” Makoto admitted. “But I’d like to believe in my friends until the very end!”

“You wear your heart on your sleeve,” Kyoko commented. “Perhaps that’s not so bad.”

“It’s really just natural to me,” Makoto admitted.

“Perhaps we could benefit from one another,” Kyoko said. “Your belief and motivational skills would be beneficial to anyone here.”

“Is that something that can really be taught…?” Makoto asked.

“In return,” Kyoko continued. “I could teach you how to investigate better.”

“Really…?” Makoto asked. “I mean that’d be great but I wouldn’t want to force you.”

“Our respective skills are beneficial to living in this school,” Kyoko said. “I don’t see any reason for us not to work together.”

“You’re right,” Makoto said, “let’s try our hardest to work together and get out of here!”

“Hm,” Kyoko said, smiling for a moment before going back to her natural expression. “You really are determined, aren’t you?”

“Of course!” Makoto said. “If we all work together we’ll be out of here in no time!”

“Are you sure you aren’t the Ultimate Moral Compass?” Kyoko teased. “You’ve been a bit more active than Taka as of late.”

“Have I…?” Makoto asked. “Maybe he was rubbing off on me.”

“Speaking of Taka, I think we should end our conversation here,” Kyoko said. “I must keep watch just in case Hifumi or Kiyondo get any ideas.”

“You know you don’t have to do that to yourself,” Makoto said.

“It’s better than not being cautious,” Kyoko replied. “This is important, we can’t lose it now.”

Makoto nodded, quickly saying goodbye and heading back to his room.

 _Man, Kyoko calls me determined but really she’s the more determined one,_ Makoto thought. _I don’t think I could ever stand that long waiting for someone to try to go near Alter Ego._

Before Makoto could decide to hang out with anyone else, Monokuma’s voice began to play on the speakers.

“Hello my beloved students!” Monokuma began. “I have a very exciting surprise…! Please make your way to the gymnasium!”

 _Surprise…?_ Makoto thought. _This isn’t a motive… right?_

Makoto made his way to the gym, discovering that he was one of the first people to make it there.

“Mac,” Kiyondo said, “what do you think that stupid fudgin’ bear has planned for us?”

“I don’t know,” Makoto admitted. “But it probably isn’t good.”

“That’s not a positive way of thinkin’,” Kiyondo scolded. “You gotta at least try to fudgin’ try to be positive, or it all will go to heck.”

“Huh…?” Makoto said. “Well yeah, I guess…”

As everyone else entered the gym, Monokuma appeared with a laugh.

“So, I bet you’re all wondering why I gathered you all here!” Monokuma yelled cheerily. “Now I know not everyone here is going to have the most stable financial situation, so…”

Monokuma paused as money fell from the sky onto the stage.

“I’ve decided to fund your killing!” Monokuma said. “Ten million dollars waiting for the lucky blackened!”

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “As if that measly amount would get me to even move.”

“That’s not enough money,” Yasuhiro said sadly.

“N-not enough money f-for what?” Toko asked.

“My debt,” Yasuhiro admitted sadly. “It’s not even close…!”

“How much debt do you have?” Junko asked.

“More than I should,” Yasuhiro admitted.

“As much as I hate to fudgin’ agree with the rich kid,” Kiyondo began, “we won’t kill for this, not at all!”

“Are you so sure?” Monokuma asked. “The money might be enticing for at least one of you.”

“He’s right,” Makoto said. “This won’t work, Monokuma!”

“Puhuhuhu! The hope on your faces, it’s hilarious,” Monokuma said. “I can’t wait for it to turn into despair…!”

“Whatever you have planned,” Sakura said. “You have gravely miscalculated.”

“There’s not much else he can do,” Kyoko said. “He has exhausted most of his trump cards.”

“That’s what you all think!” Monokuma said. “Anyways, I must be off, being the headmaster is oh so exhausting!” Monokuma disappeared, leaving the money on the stage.

“This was pointless,” Byakuya said, leaving as quickly as he had entered.

“M-master, please wait up…!” Toko yelled, following after him.

“Perhaps we should disband as well,” Celeste said. “There is not much to be gained staying here, no?”

“I’m going to go to the bath house if you all don’t mind!” Hifumi said while sweating.

“No, you’re not,” Kyoko said. “If you need to bathe, do it in your room.”

“She’s right,” Sakura said. “There is no reason for you to go into the bath house.”

“M-miss Kirigiri…! You don’t understand, I must bathe in the bath house!” Hifumi said in protest.

“Give it up, man,” Yasuhiro said. “They aren’t going to budge.”

“Didn’t know you were that desperate, Hifumi,” Junko commented. “That can’t be attractive at all.”

Makoto decided to leave the group to their arguing over Alter Ego.

“Mac!” Kiyondo yelled, catching up to Makoto easily. “How about we hang out since you have nothing better to fudgin’ do.”

“Huh...? Sure…” Makoto responded.

“Let’s head to my fudgin’ room then,” Kiyondo said as he grabbed Makoto and dragged him into Kiyotaka’s room.

Once they arrived Makoto decided to speak first, “You call this your room, but it’s technically Taka’s, right?”

“As if anything should belong to that weak dumbbutt,” Kiyondo responded.

“Huh…?” Makoto asked. “Taka wasn’t weak!”

“You don’t fudgin’ know because you don’t have his memories, dumbbutt,” Kiyondo said. “He couldn’t even fudgin’ confess to the guy he liked, or save ‘im either.”

“You’re talking about Mondo, right?”

“Of fudgin’ course,” Kiyondo said. “Who the heck else could I be talkin’ about?”

“N-no one,” Makoto responded quickly. “I just wanted to make sure…!”

“And you wanna know why?” Kiyondo asked, not looking for an answer. “Because of his stupid fudgin’ feelings for someone else!” “His feelings for someone else…? Kiyondo, I don’t understand…”

“So now I’m stuck fudgin’ dealing with it,” Kiyondo complained. “Ugh, Mac, it’s so dang hard.”

“I guess I can see why…?” Makoto said. “But if you like that person as well, why don’t you at least tell them your feelings…?”

“It’s not that fudgin’ easy,” Kiyondo said. “It’d feel like betrayal to my bro, and they already have people interested in them anyways.”

“Oh,” Makoto said, not knowing what to say. “Well I’m sure it’ll work out in the end!”

“What makes you so fudgin’ sure?”

“Despite how you act, you’re pretty nice!” Makoto said. “I’m sure anyone would be lucky to be with you or Taka.”

Kiyondo stared at Makoto, face starting to flush.

“How the heck can you say something like that?” Kiyondo asked. “You’re fudging with me, right?”

“N-no…?” Makoto answered, already putting his hand on his cheek. “I’m being serious Kiyondo, you’ve got a shot if you try it!”

“Ugh,” Kiyondo answered. “You’re just makin’ it fudgin’ worse, Mac.”

“H-huh…?!” Makoto yelled. “I didn’t mean to…!”

“Shouldn’t you be headin’ to your fudgin’ room by now?” Kiyondo asked, checking his watch. “It’s almost time for bed for all the good little boys and girls.”

“Hey! I’m not a little kid!” Makoto complained. “But you’re probably right, haha…”

“Make sure you don’t break any fudgin’ rules,” Kiyondo said as Makoto left Kiyotaka’s dorm.

Makoto made his way to his dorm just as Monokuma’s night time announcement began.

 _Here’s to a good night’s sleep._ Makoto thought.

“Hello Makoto,” Sayaka’s voice said. “I see you’re back for another talk.”

“Sayaka…?” Makoto asked. “Why are we here…?”

“I’ve got a word of warning for you, Makoto,” Sayaka said. “Despite the fact that you don’t deserve it, another murder is soon to come.”

“H-huh…?!” Makoto yelled. “No, that’s wrong!”

“Do you really believe in your friends that much?” Sayaka asked. “It’s foolish, you know?”

“No, another murder won’t happen!” Makoto said. “That I can be sure of!”

“When it does happen,” Sayaka said. “Will you eagerly send another person to their execution as you’ve done before?”

“N-no… I didn’t mean for you…” Makoto began.

“Didn’t mean for me to die?” Sayaka interrupted. “God Makoto, you’re lying to a dead girl, how pathetic are you?”

“You knew what was going to happen to me,” Sayaka said. “And you still outed me anyway, you traitor.”

Makoto dropped to his knees and Sayaka bent down to make eye contact with him.

“You’re just as much of a murderer as I am.”

Makoto woke up with a start, clothes clinging uncomfortably to his body.

Makoto waited until the morning announcement played before going into his bathroom.

Leon’s body flickered into existence just as he turned on his bathroom’s light.

“Don’t mind me,” Leon’s corpse said. “This shouldn’t bother you at all.”

Makoto once again awoke with a scream in tune with Monokuma’s morning announcement.

When he went to his bathroom again, there was no body in it.

Slowly but surely he made his way to the cafeteria. Celeste, Kiyondo, Kyoko, and Sakura were already there.

“Makoto, you’re a bit late, no?” Celeste asked.

“Huh…? But not everyone is here yet,” Makoto responded.

“Yes, but this is later than your usual arrival,” Celeste said. “Did you get a good night’s sleep?”

“Um, sure…?” Makoto said. “I mean I did sleep all the way through.”

“Having a good night’s sleep doesn’t mean sleeping all the way through,” Sakura said. “It is rest for one’s body and mind.”

“Mac! If you aren’t well rested you won’t be fudgin’ performing at your best!” Kiyondo yelled.

“Oh,” Makoto said, putting his hand on his cheek. “Ahaha, I guess I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Still, Makoto isn’t the last person arriving,” Kyoko commented. “So perhaps we shouldn’t worry too much, yet.”

As the group in the cafeteria awkwardly conversed, they were only joined by one more person, Hifumi.

“Have you seen anyone else in the halls, Hifumi?” Sakura asked as Hifumi entered.

“I don’t believe so Miss Ogami!” Hifumi answered, slightly flushed.

“Why are you flustered, Hifumi?” Celeste asked. “You wouldn’t be doing anything odd, no?”

“Miss Ludenberg…! I have not been doing anything…!”

“He was probably in the bath house,” Kyoko said. “It seems he couldn’t stay away afterall.”

“That means Junko and Hiro are missing, no?” Celeste asked.

“To think they would just fudgin’ sleep through the meeting!” Kiyondo complained. “And Junk said she wanted to fudging replace me…!”

“Maybe we should investigate,” Sakura said. “I could see Hiro sleeping the morning meeting away, but Junko?”

“You don’t think…” Makoto began.

“We should be on guard,” Kyoko interrupted. “At the very least we should make sure of their locations.”

“Then we should check their fudgin’ rooms, right?!” Kiyondo yelled.

“That would be smart, no?” Celeste said.

The group first went to knock on Junko’s door. When they received no answer they decided to mash her doorbell.

“There’s no answer,” Kyoko noted. “I don’t think she could sleep through _this_.”

“Maybe she’s sleeping with Hiro…” Makoto mumbled.

“You really think those two would get together?” Celeste asked. “That would not be my bet at the very least.”

“Huh…? Maybe they’re staying in the same room…?” Makoto said.

“A boy and a girl sleepin’ together, Mac that’d be too fudgin’ unwholesome!” Kiyondo yelled.

“I don’t believe that’s what he meant,” Sakura said.

“I for one wouldn’t understand Mr. Hagakure’s tastes!” Hifumi said.

The group went for Yasuhiro’s room and once again received no answer.

“This isn’t good,” Kyoko said.

“You’re right!” Monokuma yelled as he appeared. “This isn’t looking good at all!”

“Why are you here, Monokuma?” Sakura asked.

“I’m here to give you a hint!” Monokuma said. “Aren’t I nice? Don’t answer that, I already know I am…!”

“Just give us our fudgin’ hint you stupid bear…!” Kiyondo complained.

“If you’re so curious about the location of your friends _bear_ -haps you should check the third floor!” Monokuma said before vanishing.

“There’s nothing left to do,” Kyoko said. “We must check the third floor.”

Makoto felt nothing but dread as he followed the group up to the third floor.

“I cannot help but feel a sense of foreboding,” Celeste said. “This all feels too familiar, deja-vu, no?”

“I’m sure everything is okay…!” Makoto answered. “It has to be!”

“Very little things are going according to plan,” Celeste said. “Perhaps we should expect the worst, no?”

When Makoto stared at the rec-room’s door, he already knew what was going to happen. While his classmates were checking the two classrooms, Makoto hesitantly opened the rec-room door.

At first when Makoto entered, things looked normal but when Makoto looked to his right he saw Junko’s body hanging on the wall.

With nothing left to do, Makoto screamed and the waking nightmare began again.

Quickly the rest of the group ran into the room and shortly after Monokuma’s body discovery announcement played.

“Miss Enoshima!” Hifumi yelled. “She’s hanging on the wall…!”

“This is... interesting,” Celeste said. “I have the feeling I’ve seen this body set up before…”

“I believe you’re right,” Sakura said. “This looks to be the work of Genocide Jack.”

“Genocide Jack is here…?” Makoto asked softly. “And he went after Junko…?”

“Apparently,” Kyoko said. “I suppose we should begin our investigation.”

“Mac, you’re not looking too good,” Kiyondo noted. “Are you sure you’re fudging up for it?”

“I don’t have a choice,” Makoto admitted. “But I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Kiyondo nodded, not looking too convinced. “Then we better get fudgin’ on with it, right?!”

The investigation began, not unlike the one’s previous. As Makoto approached Junko’s corpse, he could feel tears begin to well up in his eyes.

“Wait wait wait…!” Monokuma yelled, appearing from the ground. ”Ya can’t start an investigation without a Monokuma file!”

“Just give it to us, bear,” Kyoko said. “We don’t have time for your usual antics.”

“Aren’t you in a bad mood today,” Monokuma commented. “I can _bear_ -ly believe the lack of respect I get around here…!”

“Well you better learn to believe it,” Kyoko said, looking at Junko’s body. “If you don’t have anything else to say, you should just leave.”

Monokuma pouted silently, leaving after he gave everyone a Monokuma file.

“I suppose we best start investigating, no?” Celeste said. “It seems we do not have much time to waste.”

“Let us assume that the others will come soon,” Sakura said. “They have heard the body discovery announcement.”

“Assuming no one else has died, that is,” Celeste cut in. “After all, apparently a serial killer is on the loose.”

“We know the Blackened has a limit,” Kyoko said. “Monokuma has told us that much.”

“So we can’t assume that they’re dead… right?” Makoto asked, scratching his cheek.

“Mac’s right!” Kiyondo yelled. “We can’t assume that they’re fudgin’ dead so ya better not!”

“Hm, perhaps that is the best attitude to have,” Sakura said. “Assuming the worst only gets you hurt.”

“But it doesn’t matter…!” Hifumi stammered. “We already know Miss Enoshima is dead so what’s the point…?!”

Makoto recoiled at the announcement of Junko’s death, still not coming to terms with it. Kiyondo also stiffened, although for a different reason.

“You don’t have to rub it in Mac’s face y’know!” Kiyondo yelled. “You’re a fudgin’ buttface right now!”

“H-huh…?” Hifumi squealed. “I’m not rubbing anything into Mr. Naegi’s face!”

“Guys,” Makoto interjected. “Can we just start investigating…?”

Kiyondo immediately stopped whatever he was about to say, nodding quickly before responding, “Of fudgin’ course, Mac!”

“Makoto,” Kyoko said, looking away from Junko’s body. “Perhaps you should look at the Monokuma file first.”

Makoto frowned, taking one more glance at Junko’s body. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

Kyoko stared at him, frowning ever so slightly. “Call me if you find anything useful in it.”

Makoto nodded before he turned around and took a glance at the Monokuma file.

“It doesn’t say her cause of death,” Makoto mumbled, staring at the Monokuma file. “Although it does say she has a cut on her right arm.”

“What do ya think that means, Mac?” Kiyondo asked, looking over his shoulder.

“No clue,” Makoto admitted. “But it has to have some importance if Monokuma pointed it out.”

“Yeah,” Kiyondo agreed. “But what the heck could that fudgin’ cut even mean?”

“Maybe it was a sign of struggle?” Makoto said, turning the Monokuma file off. “But we won’t find anything else out without investigating this place.”

“Then let’s get to it, Mac!”

Makoto and Kiyondo made their way to Junko’s dead body. Kyoko was looking over the corpse with a strange look on her face.

“That’s odd,” Kyoko mumbled to herself, staring at Junko’s hair.

“Kyoko?” Makoto asked. “Is there something wrong with Junko?”

Kyoko turned around, “Has Junko ever mentioned something about her hair?”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked, looking up at Junko’s hair. “No, I don’t think so. Why?”

“Her hair,” Kyoko said as she reached up to grab one of Junko’s twin tails before pulling it all off, “is a wig.”

Junko’s natural hair was a short black bob and both Makoto and Kiyondo were shocked into silence.

“She was wearin’ a fudgin’ wig this whole time…?!” Kiyondo finally yelled, staring at Junko’s body in shock.

“That isn’t the only thing fake about her,” Kyoko said. “Her nails are also glue-on instead of a manicure.”

“I mean… at least that makes a little sense,” Makoto said, shaking himself out of his stupor. “Manicures are hard to maintain right…?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Kyoko responded. “But other than an injury on her right arm her body seems to be in perfect shape.”

“Speaking of that cut…” Makoto began, looking at Junko’s body. “There’s no cause of death mentioned, but the cut is. Could that be her cause of death?”

“No,” Kyoko said quickly. “There wouldn’t have been enough blood loss caused by this cut. Whatever killed her didn’t leave a mark on her body.”

“Then what the fudge is the cut for?” Kiyondo asked. “If it didn’t do her in, what the heck is the point?”

“I don’t know,” Kyoko admitted. “But I do believe that her arm was cut after the murder rather than before.”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked. “What makes you say that?”

“Just a feeling.”

Before the three could talk more, the door opened once more and in came Byakuya with Toko trailing after him.

“Did none of you plebeians think to notify me of another body?” Byakuya asked, staring at the group in disgust.

“We assumed your ears were working,” Celeste replied. “We will not make the same mistake again.” “D-don’t insult Master like that,” Toko hissed behind Byakuya. “He has the b-best ears in the w-whole world…!”

“Oh Toko, I didn’t realize you were here,” Celeste said. “Why are you hiding behind Byakuya anyway?”

“I-I’m not hiding…!” Toko responded, peering out from behind Byakuya. Before she could say anything else, her eyes caught on Junko Enoshima’s dead body.

Then she fainted.

“H-huh…?!” Makoto yelled as Toko’s body hit the floor with a loud bump. “Did she just faint…?” “Tch,” Byakuya said. “Of course she would.”

“Interesting,” Celeste said. “I suppose she couldn’t handle this murder, no?”

“Miss Fukawa...!” Hifumi yelled. “Maybe that fall will teach her to appreciate manga!”

“Is that really all you can think of right now?” Sakura asked. “How shameful.”

“She can explain herself when she wakes up,” Byakuya said, glaring at Toko’s unconscious body. “For now I have investigating to do, so stay out of my way.”

“Is it really okay to leave her alone like that?” Makoto asked, staring at Toko worriedly.

“She’s gonna be fudgin’ fine, Mac.” Kiyondo said confidently. “But if there’s anything that rich buttface is right about, it is about investigating.”

”You’re right,” Makoto said, looking around the rec room. “There’s nothing else to do until she wakes up.”

“That’s the fudgin’ spirit, Mac!” Kiyondo cheered. “We’ll have this case solved in fudgin’ no time!”

 _Why does he keep calling me “Mac”...?_ Makoto thought. _It’s kinda… annoying…_

“Alright, so let’s look around the room,” Makoto said. “Anything that catches our eyes is probably important.”

Makoto and Kiyondo decided to look at Junko’s body once again. The sooner they got it over with the better.

“Of course the model would be unnatural,” Byakuya muttered, looking over Junko’s body with disgust.

“Hey…!” Makoto said, glaring up at Byakuya. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m talking about her wig and nails,” Byakuya said. “It should’ve been obvious that the ‘Ultimate Fashionista’ was fake from the very beginning.”

“There’s no fudgin’ reason for you to judge her just because of her fashion choices!” Kiyondo yelled. “She still tried harder than you did, anyway.”

“Tch,” Byakuya said, finally looking down to sneer at Kiyondo and Makoto. “I thought you didn’t like Junko anyway, pleb.”

“Just because she was fudgin’ annoying doesn’t mean she didn’t work for her talent,” Kiyondo said, defending himself. “You’ve got everything handed to you on a silver fudgin’ platter.”

“You absolute idiot of a commoner, you don’t even understand half of what I went through to get my title as the Togami heir,” Byakuya began, face contorting in anger. “I was born-”

“Byakuya,” Makoto interrupted, “I’m sure what you have to say is important… but we kind of have a murder to solve.” “Tch,” Byakuya said, looking away. “It’s not like you idiots would understand anyway.”

Makoto frowned, taking his gaze off of Byakuya and turning it to Junko’s dead body. Seeing her without a wig and a few of her nails was odd.

But he wasn’t sure he disliked how the real Junko looked.

Well, it wasn’t like it mattered anymore.

She was dead, no matter what she looked like.

 _I’m sorry Junko,_ Makoto thought. _I’ll get to the bottom of this for you!_

“Come on Mac, cheer up!” Kiyondo yelled, startling Makoto out of his thoughts. “The sooner we get to the fudgin’ bottom of this, the better!”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Makoto agreed, trying to summon some of his usual enthusiasm.

“Hey.. speaking of things that we need to get to the bottom of,” Makoto said looking up at Junko’s corpse. “She’s hanging… by some sort of rope, right?”

“Actually I’d bet that they’re holiday lights or whatever the heck,” Kiyondo said. “They definitely look just as obnoxious.”

“You’re right…” Makoto muttered. “They kinda look like the christmas lights the stores would sell in bulk.”

“I wonder why she’s hung up like this though,” Kiyondo said, softer than his normal tone. “It’s weird as all heck.”

“Maybe it has something to do with Genocide’s Jack MO…” Makoto said. “Although I wouldn’t know much about it…”

“Well, it’s probably worth fudgin’ remembering.”

Makoto nodded, staring at the holiday lights for a moment longer.

The bright colors of the holiday lights made Makoto feel sick. Holiday cheer was far from Makoto’s mind as Junko’s corpse hung weakly above.

Makoto couldn’t focus on Junko for too long. He didn’t want to get distracted.

“Alright,” Makoto said weakly. “Maybe we should check on what she’s hanging from…?”

“Good fudgin’ idea, Mac!”

Makoto and Kiyondo went to different sides, Makoto went to the side where Junko’s body was hanging from the Dart Board Arcade Machine.

Whoever hung her up took great care to make sure the holiday lights wouldn’t untie.

At least Makoto could confirm that it was done by an expert.

Not that it made him feel any better.

“Hey, Mac, I think you should come see this!” Kiyondo yelled and Makoto quickly rushed to Kiyondo.

“Huh…?” Makoto asked, looking to where Kiyondo was gesturing.

Embedded into the wall was a knife, although Makoto couldn’t see all the blade fully he noticed some ridges in the blade.

“Is this a knife from a kitchen…?” Makoto asked, tilting his head confusedly.

“No you fudgin’ idiot, it’s a hunting knife,” Kiyondo corrected, staring at the knife intensely. “Why the fudge would one of these damn things be here, it’s unsafe as heck!”

“Where would someone even get one…?” Makoto asked. “It’s not like anyone would be hunting right…?”

“Maybe the fudgin’ Mastermind gave it to ‘em,” Kiyondo suggested. “They’d probably help any friggin’ criminal activity…!”

“I don’t know…” Makoto mumbled. “Would the Mastermind give a weapon that didn’t even get used?”

“Fudge, that is a good point, Mac,” Kiyondo said. “But where the heck did they get this damn knife then?!”

“Hm…” Makoto said, putting his hand on his chin. “We can’t be sure, but we should keep this in mind.”

“Yeah, you’re probably fudgin’ right.” Kiyondo said. “So, any other places to check?” “We should just look around the room,” Makoto suggested. “It’d probably be better if we split up, as well.”

“Alright Mac, but as soon as you fudgin’ find anything you better call for me!” Kiyondo commanded. “I’ll do the same for you, got it?!”

“Alright…” Makoto said, putting his hand on his cheek to scratch it.

 _I guess all of Taka isn’t gone yet, huh…?_ Makoto thought.

Makoto wandered to where Sakura and Hifumi were standing, seemingly standing guard.

“Hey, Hifumi…?” Makoto began, causing said male to turn over to him.

“Ah, Mr. Naegi!” Hifumi said loudly. “Do you have any questions for me?” “Yeah,” Makoto said, “do you have any information about the blackened?”

“Well of course,” Hifumi said, voice going deeper. “They are a murderous fiend! A serial killer killing such a lady like Miss. Enoshima…”

Before Makoto could say anything else, Hifumi quickly corrected himself. “Not that I’m into 3D or anything, Mr. Naegi!”

 _So… he doesn’t have anything to say..._ Makoto thought.

“Sakura…” Makoto began. “Do you have any information about the blackened?”

“Perhaps not about the blackened themselves,” Sakura said. “But I do have information on Junko, or at least how she had been acting before her murder.”

“H-huh…? Junko acting weird…?” Makoto said, excited to hear anything about Junko. “Could you tell me anything about her behavior?”

“She seemed very nervous,” Sakura said, beginning to explain. “She came to me for advice before telling me that it wasn’t that important.”

“She came to you for advice…?” Makoto asked. “When did that happen?”

“Perhaps a day or so after the last class trial,” Sakura said. “Perhaps she thought it was too inconsiderate considering the events…”

 _That’s right,_ Makoto thought. _Sakura was close to Hina… right?_

“I’m sorry about Hina,” Makoto said. “And thanks for the information Sakura.”

“Don’t mention it,” Sakura said simply.

“Hey, Mac!” Kiyondo yelled, causing Makoto to turn his head over to where Kiyondo was in the rec room. “There’s another fudgin’ thing you need to see over here!”

Makoto made his way to where Kiyondo was standing only to be stopped by Kiyondo’s hand.

“You have to be fudgin’ careful where you stand, Mac,” Kiyondo said. “There’s glass shards from a teacup over here, so you better be friggin’ careful.”

“A teacup…?” Makoto asked, staring at the remains of said teacup. “Why would this be here…?”

“Someone was obviously fudgin’ drinking here, Mac,” Kiyondo said. “It’s obvious as heck you dumbbutt…!”

 _Yeah, I know that,_ Makoto thought. _I mean, what’s the importance of it being here…?_

“I mean,” Makoto said, beginning to explain himself. “Why would-”

Before Makoto could continue, a low groaning noise was heard. When Makoto looked over, he could see that Toko was trying to make her way back up.

“Toko…?” Makoto asked, starting to make his way to where she was. “Are you alright?”

“Huh…? Some random stranger...?” Toko asked, staring at Makoto with her tongue out. “Why are you here and what’s it to ya?”

“You just passed out,” Makoto said. “Are you sure you’re alright…?”

“Well, aren’t you just the shining example of a gentleman, ?” Toko asked. “Oh it makes me just feel like a woman!”

“I hate to interrupt this conversation,” Celeste said coolly. “But I just heard an odd noise from the physics lab and it’s best to investigate that, no?”

“As long as it keeps me away from her,” Byakuya said, glaring at Toko’s direction. “Then I don’t see why I shouldn’t at least investigate it.”

“I see you are very keen on her,” Celeste joked. “But I am glad even you see the importance of investigating everything.”

“Tch,” Byakuya simply said, walking out of the room with long strides.

Kiyondo made his way to Makoto soon after Byakuya left, staring at Toko worriedly.

“We’ve gotta fudgin’ investigate that room, right?” Kiyondo asked. “But should we really leave her like this…?”

“I mean, we can take her with us,” Makoto said. “And then after we’ll take her to the nurse or something…?” “Good fudgin’ idea, Mac!”

“Hey, why are you talking about me like I’m not here…?!” Toko complained, crossing her arms. “That’s very rude of ya, y’know.”

“We’re not meanin’ to be fudgin’ mean you know!” Kiyondo said, glaring at Toko. “You’ve just been acting crazy as heck!”

“Well--!” Toko said, about to retaliate, only to be interrupted by Makoto.

“Hey guys…” Makoto said, putting his hands between them. “Maybe we should just investigate…”

“I guess you’re fudgin’ right, Mac,” Kiyondo said, still glaring at Toko. “Let’s just get this damn investigation over with.”

Makoto nodded, leading both Toko and Kiyondo into the hallway.

“Woah, is this Hope’s Peak?” Toko asked, eyes lighting up for a moment in a reddish-color. “Damn this place got a makeover!”

“We’ve been in Hope’s Peak for a while,” Makoto said. “Do you really not remember that?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, average looking stranger?” Toko rebutted.

“Hey, don’t fudgin’ insult Mac’s looks!” Kiyondo barked, getting all fired up again.

“Woah, is this some real Boys’ Love?” Toko asked. “What are you going to do, defend your boyfriend?”

“Boyfriend…?! What the heck are you talking about?”

“It’s totally obvious you two have the hots for each other…!” Toko wheezed. “What an interesting pair-”

“We’re going in,” Makoto said, interrupting Toko before she could go on a tangent.

 _What’s gotten into her…?_ Makoto thought as he entered the physics lab. _Did she really hit her head that hard?_

When Makoto entered the room, he saw Yasuhiro on the floor with Celeste and Byakuya.

 _Another person dead…?_ Makoto thought. _I can’t… why…? Why would this happen?_

Makoto waited for the body discovery announcement to play, waited for hell to begin once more.

A drop, before someone spoke.

“Well I suppose he is not dead,” Celeste said. “After all, we haven’t heard the body discovery announcement, no?”

“Huh…?” Makoto mumbled. “You’re right…” “He couldn’t be fudgin’ sleeping here either,” Kiyondo said. “It’s against the damn rules!”

“Hohoh…? Hope’s Peak Academy has some strange rules.” Toko said.

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “Why did you bring her here?”

“We couldn’t just leave her…?” Makoto said, scratching his cheek.

Byakuya glared at him, but didn’t say anything else.

 _If looks could kill…_ Makoto thought. _Jeez, that guy would have killed everyone by this point..._

“So what are we going to do about Hiro…?” Makoto said, trying to ignore Byakuya’s glare. “I mean, we can’t just leave him here, right?”

“Does anyone find it odd that he’s knocked out here?” Celeste said, tilting her head slightly. “It’s a bit too close to the body, no?”

“We won’t be able to find out anything until he wakes the fudge up!” Kiyondo said.

“Tch,” Byakuya glared. “Do you have any ideas on how to wake this idiot up?”

“Maybe we could pour water on him…?” Makoto offered. “I think that’d wake him up.”

“Good idea, Mac!” Kiyondo said. “I’ll be right fudgin’ back with the water.”

Kiyondo quickly left the room without flat out running, leaving the room a lot more silent.

“He seemed very eager to fulfill your wishes Makoto,” Celeste noted, a slight smile on her face. “There isn’t something more going on between you two, no?”

“Something more going on…?” Makoto asked, scratching his cheek. “I… don’t know what you mean.”

“Of course you don’t,” Byakuya said. “You’re too stupid to catch onto any subtext.”

“Subtext…?” Makoto said. “I really don't understand this at all.”

“Oh,” Toko said, sneering slightly. “You’re the oblivious protagonist then?”

Before Makoto could express his confusion again, Kiyondo burst into the room with a bucket of water.

“Alright, let’s wake this child born of wedlock up before he breaks any more damn rules!” Kiyondo yelled, spilling some of the water in the process.

“If we’re going to wake him up, we’re going to actually need some water,” Byakuya sneered. “Unless you want to go grab another bucket.”

“Let’s not fight, everyone,” Celeste interrupted. “We must discover what brought Hiro here before we devolve into petty squabbling.”

“Fine,” Byakuya said, “but let’s make this quick.”

Kiyondo carefully came over to Yasuhiro, making sure not to spill any more water before he reached his target.

With little to no warning, Kiyondo poured the bucket of water all over Yasuhiro.

Everyone stared, waiting for a reaction.

There was none.

“Is he actually dead…?” Makoto asked, staring at Yasuhiro worriedly. “There’s no way he didn’t wake up due to that, right?”

“It seems that he’s immune to one bucket,” Celeste said. “Perhaps we should try another.”

“That’s the only fudgin’ course of action,” Kiyondo said. “I’ll be right back.”

Kiyondo was off again and the group decided to converse in the meantime.

“Why do you think he’s here?” Celeste asked. “It seems like an odd place to be, no?”

“In the room near the body?” Makoto asked. “Maybe the blackened disposed of him here?”

“Are we so sure he isn’t the blackened?” Celeste asked. “We cannot deny the possibility, no?”

“There’s no point in discussing this until the idiot wakes up,” Byakuya said. “So if you could keep your useless discussion to a minimum-”

Kiyondo burst into the room, or as well as he could with two buckets full of water in his hands.

“That fudgin’ dumbbutt isn’t going to be able to sleep through this!” Kiyondo yelled.

“How did you carry those two up without spilling…?” Makoto asked, moving out of Kiyondo’s way so as to not get hit with water.

“It’s obvious he’s super strong,” Toko said. “Doesn’t that get you all excited…?”

“Shut up,” Byakuya said before Makoto could even begin to question what she meant.

Kiyondo poured the second bucket of water on Yasuhiro. Unlike the first time, there was a bit of an effect.

“At least he twitched…?” Makoto offered, scratching at his cheek. “But this does seem to be a bit… pointless.”

“We’re not throwing the damn towel in yet!” Kiyondo yelled. “We’ve still got one more fudgin’ empty bucket and plenty more to fill up.”

“We don’t have the time for trying to wake this idiot up,” Byakuya said. “You get one more attempt before we just leave him here.”

“Well then this attempt I’ll be sure to fudgin’ wake him up!” Kiyondo yelled, all fired up.

Unlike his previous attempts of just dumping the bucket onto Yasuhiro, Kiyondo got into a more throwing like position.

When Kiyondo did throw the bucket, some of the contents did hit Yasuhiro.

Unfortunately, the majority of its’ contents happened to hit Byakuya.

“You idiot…!” Byakuya yelled, glaring at Kiyondo with more emotion than he had ever shown before. “I’ll have you know my outfit is worth more than your damn life!”

“Well maybe you shouldn’t have been in my damn way when I was trying to wake Hiro up!” Kiyondo said. “It’s not my fudgin’ fault you’re always trying to stand in the center of attention!”

“A Togami is always supposed to be center stage,” Byakuya hissed. “Although an Ishimaru like yourself would never understand.”

“I’m not a fudgin’ Ishimaru,” Kiyondo yelled, somehow rising in volume. “Don’t ever compare me to _him_!”

“Oh? You’re not an Ishimaru?” Byakuya asked. “Despite what you try to _delude_ yourself into believing, you are still very much the failure that is named Kiyotaka Ishimaru.”

“Guys…” Makoto said, tone pleading. “Can we save this until after the class trial…?”

“Huh…?” Yasuhiro murmured, slowly waking up to the fight in front of him. “What are you guys all doing in my room…?”

“Shut up!” Both Kiyondo and Byakuya yelled, causing Yasuhiro to put his hands over his face.

“Please don’t hurt me!” Yasuhiro cried.

As Kiyondo and Byakuya continued their arguing, Makoto went over to the still shaking Yasuhiro.

“Hey, uh, Hiro, you do realize this isn’t your room, right?” Makoto said, staring worriedly at the man. “Do you know how you got here…?”

“Huh…? It isn’t?” Yasuhiro asked. “So you’re telling me that they didn’t break into my room and they aren’t going to kill me?” “Yeah,” Makoto said, scratching his cheek. “If they’re going to kill anyone… it’ll probably be each other.”

“Oh, well that’s reassuring!” Yasuhiro said, smiling brightly. “Although… that doesn’t explain why I’m all wet.”

“Well um, I was hoping you could explain at least something about this situation…” Makoto said. “Currently, it doesn’t really make sense why you’re here.”

“Ask away, Makoto!”

“So, why did you come to the Physics Lab?”

“That’s easy…!” Yasuhiro said, pausing for a moment. “I’m… pretty sure I got a note.”

“A note?” Makoto asked. “What did the note say?”

“It was just telling me to meet someone in the Physics Lab early in the morning,” Yasuhiro said. “Weird, huh?”

“Do you still have the note with you?”

“Huh…? Let me check.” Yasuhiro said, padding his wet clothes for any note. After a minute he seems satisfied with the results of his search.

“Sorry Makoto, seems like it’s gone now.” Yasuhiro said. “It’s not like it was important right…?”

“About that…” Makoto said, trailing off. “There’s been another murder and… that note could’ve been important.”

“Another murder…?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “Don’t tell me you did it, Makoto!”

“Huh…?! No way!” Makoto said. “I’m just… trying to figure out how you got here.”

“Oh yeah, I never finished the story, did I?” Yasuhiro said. “So after I came here, I must’ve got hit with something because I don’t remember anything afterwards!”

“Someone… hit you?!” Makoto said, practically yelling. “And you didn’t think to mention this at all?”

“I was getting to it eventually!” Yasuhiro said, scratching at his nose. “You can’t rush a story, Makoto.”

“That’s a pretty important detail to mention, Hiro!”

“You still haven’t even explained why I’m all wet!”

“That’s because Kiyondo splashed you with water to wake you up…” Makoto said, scratching his cheek.

 _Just ignore that it took three buckets and an angry Byakuya,_ Makoto thought. _But at least Hiro is up…?_

“Ah Yasuhiro,” Celeste said, walking up to Makoto and Yasuhiro. “It is good to see you back up, yes?”

“Yeah… but apparently I’ve missed a lot, huh?” Yasuhiro asked, scratching his head. “Apparently there’s been a whole murder.”

“You don’t seem very shocked by this revelation,” Celeste noted. “Could you have already known?” “Hey… are you implying…” Makoto said, as Celeste smiled innocently at him.

“Like I said before, we cannot ignore that this is very suspicious,” Celeste said. “Perhaps if he could give us a reason to trust him then I’d be less suspicious.”

“Hey, don’t be mean…!” Yasuhiro said. “There’s no way I could murder anyone!”

“That is what we thought about the last two blackeneds,” Celeste said. “It turns out we were sorely mistaken, no?”

Makoto frowned. Although he didn’t want to be suspicious of Yasuhiro, Celeste wasn’t exactly wrong.

 _He’s claiming something that we can’t exactly prove…_ Makoto thought. _But is he smart enough to come up with a plan like that?_

“We’ll get to the bottom of this in no time,” Makoto said, finally. “If Yasuhiro really is the blackened we’ll figure that out.”

“Oh…?” Celeste said. “You truly do not believe he is the blackened then?”

“I’m not sure…” Makoto admitted. “But we shouldn’t distrust him until we have more evidence.”

“Thanks, Makoto!” Yasuhiro said. “I’ll make sure to prove myself innocent!”

 _I think the blackened would especially want to prove themselves innocent, Hiro,_ Makoto thought. _But it’s the thought that counts, right?_

“Are you fudgin’ done here, Mac?” Kiyondo asked. “That rich son of a gun is too fudgin’ annoying to stay here any longer.”

“Plus, we still have to take Toko to the nurse’s office since she’s acting like a fudgin’ freak.”

“Oh yeah,” Makoto said. “I don’t think there’s anything else here, no.”

“Then let’s fudgin’ go!” Kiyondo yelled, grabbing Makoto and dragging him over to Toko.

“Ooh, getting handsy with your boyfriend huh…?” Toko asked. “This is getting so X-rated…!”

“Shut up, you’re coming with us you fudgin’ freak,” Kiyondo said, as he dragged Makoto out of the physics lab.

Surprisingly, Toko followed, murmuring something about ‘Boy’s Love in live-action’.

“Kiyondo, why are you dragging me?!” Makoto complained. “I can walk on my own you know…!”

“That fudgin’ rich brat, who does he think he is?!” Kiyondo fumed, ignoring Makoto entirely. “Think that he's so high and mighty and so much fudgin’ better for you!”

“Better for me…? Kiyondo, what’s going on?!”

“Ooh, so the white haired one gets super jealous, huh…?” Toko drooled. “Interesting, very interesting.”

With Kiyondo fuming and Toko drooling, Makoto was very confused as the three of them made their way to the nurse’s office.

Finally able to detach himself from Kiyondo’s vice grip, Makoto looked at the nurse’s office warily.

 _What are we supposed to treat Toko with…?_ Makoto thought. _We can’t exactly cure her new-found behavior with an ice pack, right?_

“Um, Toko,” Makoto began, “do you have a headache or anything…?”

“A headache…? How could I have a headache with some real Boy’s Love happening right in front of me…?” Toko responded. “I’m a real connoisseur of that, y’know.”

“Yeah, right…” Makoto said.

 _This situation couldn’t get any worse,_ Makoto thought. _Or… at least I hope it can’t._

“Well, since we have no clue what the heck is wrong with you,” Kiyondo said, walking over to the refrigerator. “We’re just gonna give you a fudgin’ ice pack.”

Kiyondo opened the refrigerator and quickly grabbed an ice pack. He examined it for any holes before walking it back to Toko.

“Well, that’s all we fudgin’ came here for, right?” Kiyondo asked. “We can leave this damn place, right?”

“I’m not so sure…” Makoto said, looking over the room. “Since we’re investigating, shouldn’t we just investigate this room to be safe?”

“That’s right, Mac!” Kiyondo yelled. “We’re still investigating a murder so we should take every fudgin’ precaution known to man!”

“Am I supposed to help you with your investigation?” Toko asked, looking particularly dead. “Because that’s like super lame.”

“No, you should just work on getting better…” Makoto said.

Makoto went to the left side of the room, examining the beds to see if anything was hidden.

Kiyondo’s side bid a bit more usefulness as he was quick to call Makoto over.

“Hey Mac, there’s something odd you need to see over here.” Kiyondo said, staring at an opened gray cabinet.

“Huh…? What do you mean?” Makoto asked, making his way over to where Kiyondo was standing.

The gray cabinet in and of itself was usually ordinary, although Makoto couldn’t be completely sure about that as he was only in the office once.

“It’s just an ordinary cabinet…?” Makoto asked, tilting his head to try to see better. “I don’t see anything too weird about it.”

“No you fudgin’ dumbbutt you have to look inside the cabinet,” Kiyondo said, reaching inside and pulling out a mallet. “This dangerous thing was just lurking inside waiting to wack another fudgin’ innocent victim!”

“Another victim…?” Makoto asked. “What do you mean?”

“Damn Mac, you really need to learn to pay attention!” Kiyondo scolded. “There’s a bit of fudgin’ blood on the mallet, you damn dumbbutt!”

“H-huh…?” Makoto said, grabbing the mallet from Kiyondo and putting up to his eye.

Sure enough there was a bit of blood on the mallet, but from where…? “Hey, I hate to break your precious moment, but…” Toko interrupted in a sing-songy voice. “Can I just go to my room and rest there, it’s getting super boring just waiting here!”

“Oh yeah, right,” Makoto said. “You should probably rest before the class trial.”

After one more quick-glance around the nurse’s office the trio left to bring Toko back to her room to rest.

 _Hopefully she can just sleep off whatever happened to her,_ Makoto thought. _Although something tells me I shouldn’t get my hopes up that much…_

Once the trio made their way back to the dorms, Toko cheerfully entered her room.

“Remember, don’t kiss without me watching,” Toko said, smiling. “Or else I’ll have to punish you two, alright?”

“K-kiss…?!” Makoto stuttered. “I don’t-”

“Don’t fudgin’ tease us like that!” Kiyondo said, interrupting Makoto.

“Ugh,” a familiar voice groaned, and Makoto could already feel the glare piercing through his head. “What are you two doing here?”

Makoto turned around to meet Byakuya’s glare, smiling politely at him. “We just came here to drop off Toko.”

“Tch,” Byakuya sneered. “Why do you waste time with that shut-in?”

“Because Mac doesn’t fudgin’ judge people like you do, rich brat!” Kiyondo yelled, glaring daggers at Byakuya.

“Shut up,” Byakuya said. “We had this argument before and I won’t bother with it again.”

“Since I found you here anyway Makoto,” Byakyua continued, ignoring Kiyondo’s glare. “There’s something I need to show you, I believe it to be pertinent to the class trial.”

“‘Something important’...?” Makoto echoed. “What do you mean?”

“I’d rather show you alone, Makoto,” Byakuya said, glaring at Kiyondo.

“There’s no fudgin’ way I’m leaving you alone with Mac!” Kiyondo hissed. “Not after what you fudgin’ said to me.”

“Of course you would be so narrow minded,” Byakuya said. “But if you’re going to insist, you might as well come to.”

“Where are we going, exactly…?” Makoto asked, scratching his cheek.

“To the library’s archive, obviously,” Byakyuya said, turning heel and walking towards the second floor’s stairs.

“I guess we should follow him, then?” Makoto asked Kiyondo.

“Be on your fudgin’ guard, Mac.” is all Kiyondo responded with.

As the two followed Byakuya with a careful distance to the library, Makoto could practically feel the tension strangle him.

 _That fight that they had… what could it have been about…?_ Makoto thought. _And why are they still so angry about it…?_

“Before we go into the archive,” Byakuya began suddenly, “be careful with these documents, they’re worth more than your lives.”

“A-alright…” Makoto said, scratching his cheek for comfort.

“Just shut the fudge up and show us what you wanted to show us,” Kiyondo yelled.

Byakuya glared, but surprisingly bit down any rebuttal he had. Leading both Makoto and Kiyondo into the archive, he closed the door behind them.

“You both know of the serial killer Genocide Jack, correct?” Byakuya asked as he grabbed a document.

“Of course,” Makoto answered. “Even if you ignore the fact that they might be the blackened… their murders were a big thing.”

“Well, the school’s archive has the case file for Genocide Jack’s murders,” Byakuya said, dropping a large file in front of Makoto and Kiyondo. “I however have already read these files since the Togami-”

“Yeah yeah, we fudgin’ get it,” Kiyondo interrupted. “Come on Mac, let’s just read these damn files already.”

Makoto nodded, opening the large case file.

If Makoto had seen the images of Jack’s victims earlier he probably would’ve been disgusted. But now, four murders in, he could barely feel anything at all.

The case file talked about the victims Ken Harada, Tetsuhiro Honda and Shoji Gaku. All of them died in similar fashions.

Along with the victims, the case file also speculated that the killer was a high school student suffering from a split personality.

“That’s… a lot to take in,” Makoto said. “I guess we’re dealing with an experienced killer, huh?”

“Don’t fudgin’ worry, Mac!” Kiyondo said. “We’ll figure this out in no time!”

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “Your optimism is naïve at best.”

“Shut the fudge up!” Kiyondo yelled. “You can’t fudgin’ buy your way out of this.”

“I already know who the blackened is,” Byakuya said, smirking as he grabbed the case file. “But of course you two idiots haven’t figured it out yet.”

“H-huh…?! You know who the blackened is?!” Makoto yelled.

“H-he’s probably just bluffing, you know like the hecking dumbbutt he is…!”

“You can believe what you want to believe,” Byakuya said. “Now get out of my sight, I have nothing more to share with you.”

Makoto didn’t want to argue so before Kiyondo and Byakuya could begin to act on the tension that was growing in the room, Makoto grabbed Kiyondo and pulled him out to the hall.

“Mac, what the heck did you do that for?!” Kiyondo complained. “I was just about to put that rich brat in his damned place!”

“You can’t just keep fighting with him,” Makoto said, trying to stress the importance of keeping the peace.

Before Makoto could begin to scold Kiyondo for his behavior, much like Kiyotaka would ironically, the school’s speakers flared to life.

“A-hem!” Monokuma’s grating voice began, and although Makoto couldn’t see the bear smiling, it was obvious he was. “The investigation period is now over! If all my lovely students could head on to the elevator to begin the class trial, that would be very appreciated!”

“And by appreciated I mean required!” Monokuma added. “Ta-ta!”

“I guess it’s time to figure out who killed… Junko…” Makoto muttered, suddenly reminded about this trial’s victim.

“You’ll get justice for her, I promise you that, Mac!” Kiyondo said, smiling.

 _I want to believe you, Kiyondo,_ Makoto thought. _But… justice won’t bring her back, will it?_

Kiyondo and Makoto made their way to the class trial elevator, everyone except Byakuya and Toko were there waiting.

“I suppose this class trial will be pretty cut and dry, no?” Celeste asked the group as she looked at her nails. “This blackened practically handed it to us.”

“Are you really so sure of that?” Kyoko asked. “Very little is as it seems in this school.”

“Ah, Kyoko,” Celeste said smiling. “Isn’t it better to be positive about this sort of thing?”

“I have to agree with Miss. Ludenberg!” Hifumi said, pumping his hand up. “The way she explained things made it very clear.”

“So you two have been discussing this case then?” Sakura asked.

“Is that so wrong?” Celeste asked. “I did want to get a second opinion before I made any theories.”

“No,” Sakura said. “It was just a question.”

After a short period of silence, Byakuya entered the elevator.

“When is this elevator going to begin moving?” Byakuya complained. “I don’t have all day.”

“We’re all on the same schedule, are we not?” Celeste asked. “I do not know why you are complaining.”

“I’m glad you’re all worried about the class trial starting on time!” Monokuma cheered, appearing out of nowhere. “Worry no longer, because this elevator is starting to move down now!”

Before anyone could tell the bear that Toko was missing the elevator’s doors closed and began its slow descent downwards.

 _Is anyone going to tell Monokuma…?_ Makoto thought. _I wonder if she can just get away with skipping the class trial._

_And… if she can, then maybe I should’ve tried to skip this class trial too._

Once the elevator arrived at the class trial ground, each student went to their respective podium.

“Oh, it seems like someone’s being naughty!” Monokuma announced from his chair. “Which one of you brats is skipping the class trial…?!”

“That would be Toko,” Byakuya informed him easily. “If you could just kill her and be over it.”

“Oh? You are so quick to get rid of her over being tardy?” Celeste asked, raising an eyebrow. “How curious.” “I’d get rid of her for much less if possible,” Byakuya replied evenly. “But this is a way to keep my hands clean of her disgusting blood.” “I’ve got bad news, Byakuya!” Monokuma said, not sounding even the slightest bit sad. “All I’ll do is drag her down here, kicking and screaming if I must!”

“Um… about that,” Makoto said. “She was acting a bit weird before the class trial, I don’t know if she’d come willing with you or not.”

“She was acting weird, you say?” Monokuma asked, tilting his head. “Interesting, very interesting…”

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about her behavior would you, Monokuma?” Kyoko asked, crossing her arms and glaring at the bear.

“Oh me…?” Monokuma asked. “In this case I’m _bear-_ y innocent…!”

“Monokuma,” Sakura said. “If you could just get Toko and start this trial, that would be very appreciated.”

“Fine, fine!” Monokuma said. “Please be patient while I grab your beloved classmate Toko Fukawa!”

In a moment he was gone again, leaving the room in an awkward sort of silence.

“So what do you all fudgin’ think about this case?” Kiyondo’s voice cut through the tension.

“This case seems cut and dry,” Sakura said. “Because of that we should be worried about its actual complexity.”

“Oh?” Celeste said. “I am sure that the real blackened will be revealed as soon as we actually discuss this case.”

“I agree whole-heartedly with Miss. Ludenberg!” Hifumi added.

“Tch,” Byakuya sneered. “As much as I hate to agree with commoners, this case should easily be solved, even by imbeciles like yourselves.”

“Hey, don’t fudgin’ insult us!” Kiyondo hissed, quick to anger.

“Um… maybe it’s just his weird way of complimenting us…?” Makoto said, trying to ease the tension. Although if he was being honest, he didn’t really believe what he was saying.

“Maybe we should just wait for the trial to start,” Kyoko suggested. “We won’t learn anything until we discuss everything thoroughly.”

“Yeah, but before we begin I just need to clear the air,” Yasuhiro began. “I am 100% not the blackened!”

“Oh…?” Celeste said. “Why are you so defensive about that?”

“Why shouldn’t I be…?!” Yasuhiro said. “I don’t want to die, I’m too young to become a ghost!”

“Guys… maybe we should listen to Kyoko and wait for the class trial to begin,” Makoto said. “Nothing good will come from throwing accusations at each other right now.”

“Exactly,” Kyoko said. “Arguing right now won’t achieve anything.”

“We shouldn’t doubt each other until given reason,” Sakura added. “That is our best course of action.”

“You fudgin’ hear that?!” Kiyondo yelled. “No accusing until the fudgin’ trial starts!”

The silence in the room grew once again, and this time no one attempted to break it.

“I-I don’t want to be here, you s-stupid bear!” Toko yelled as the elevator door opened. “Y-you really don’t understand…!”

“And you don’t understand that you don’t get a choice!” Monokuma responded, sounding somewhat exasperated. “I’m the one calling the shots around here, in case you forgot!”

Toko and Monokuma made their way to their respective areas, albeit Toko a little bit more reluctantly and Makoto couldn’t help but feel a bit of dread.

He didn’t want anymore people to die.

He didn’t want to accept that Junko was dead either.

“Now, let the class trial begin!” Monokuma announced.

“Now I have a question for everyone here,” Celeste began easily. “Are we so sure that that this ‘Genocide Jack’ committed this murder?”

“Huh…? What do you mean?” Makoto asked.

“I mean, how can we be so sure that this isn’t a copycat?” Celeste asked. “Afterall, any of us could’ve easily faked the crime scene to frame the infamous serial killer, no?”

“That certainly is a possibility,” Kyoko said. “We all knew about Genocide Jack especially since they were in the news a few days before we entered Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“Genocide Jack was unavoidable,” Hifumi complained. “I tried to watch a new anime and when I first searched it up all I could find were news articles about Genocide Jack!”

 _What exactly were you trying to watch that Genocide Jack would show up…?_ Makoto thought. _I don’t think most normal animes would even be slightly related to Genocide Jack…_

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “Trivial things such as that shouldn’t even be mentioned here.”

“W-why are we talking about Genocide J-jack so much anyways…?” Toko muttered. “It w-wasn’t them, they aren’t even here…!”

“There’s at least a 30% chance that Genocide Jack showed up in one my readings before I entered Hope’s Peak!” Yasuhiro added.

“Hina mentioned it to me a few times…” Sakura said. “She said she was worried about the outside world with a serial killer running rampant.”

“See, Makoto?” Celeste said. “Everything about Genocide Jack was public knowledge.”

“No, that’s wrong!” Makoto yelled, earning a slight grimace from Celeste. “The blackened knew the exact way Genocide Jack hung the bodies, which wasn’t public information.”

“Oh?” Celeste said, mouth opening in shock. “And how do you know this, Makoto?”

“It’s in the case file located in the archive,” Makoto clarified.

“So it would be totally possible for anyone to access the file, would it not?”

“I mean, I guess…?” Makoto said, scratching at his cheek.

“So, you cannot deny the possibility that the blackened could’ve just read the case file, no?”

“We aren’t going to get anywhere with ‘what-ifs’ about the blackened,” Kyoko said. “I suppose you have an idea on who the blackened might be, Celeste?”

“I do, yes,” Celeste admitted. “I think Hiro is the most suspicious out of all of us.”

“H-huh…?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “How am I the blackened…?!”

“You’re the only one in the most suspicious location,” Celeste explained. “In a room near the rec room without a proper explanation.”

“You’re the suspicious one!” Yasuhiro yelled, pointing his finger at Celeste. “You’re just spouting that accusation without any proof!”

“You claimed to be knocked out but there is no proof that anyone actually did that to you,” Celeste continued. “Unless you can somehow prove that you were knocked out, you have no reason for being there whatsoever.”

“Well actually,” Makoto countered. “Kiyondo and I were in the nurse’s office and we found a mallet with a bit of blood on it.”

“What would something like that be doing in the nurse’s office?” Sakura asked.

“The blackened probably fudgin’ stored it in there after they hit Hiro!” Kiyondo explained loudly.

“That would make logical sense,” Sakura said. “Although it is an odd place to hide a weapon such as that.”

“Assuming that Hiro didn’t do it himself,” Celeste cut in. ”You must admit that the possibility isn’t completely unfounded.”

“And how would you explain that?” Sakura said, crossing her arms. “I understand having a reasonable doubt against Hiro’s story but this seems much more.”

“We know that the nurse’s office stores blood bags, correct?” Celeste said. “Who is to say he didn’t just use the blood from there?”

“That’d be a smart fudgin’ accusation,” Kiyondo said. “If it wasn’t Hiro you were accusing.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“He’s a fudgin’ dumbbutt,” Kiyondo said easily. “You could give him a damn instruction manual on how to get away with murder and he’d still fudgin’ mess it up.”

“Aw thanks, I think…?” Yasuhiro said, smiling brightly.

 _That was obviously an insult…_ Makoto thought. _How did he not get that…?_

“Then what is another theory we can follow?” Sakura asked. “We must discuss something productive.”

“We could let Miss. Ludenberg explain her theory in more detail!” Hifumi offered up. “I’m sure you would all believe her if she explained it to you clearly!”

“Tch,” Byakuya sneered. “Don’t make us go through that waste of time.”

“It’s the only reasonable explanation we’ve seen so far,” Kyoko said. “Unless you have something else to offer up.”

“Of course I do,” Byakuya said. “I already know who the blackened is.”

“You said that before,” Makoto said. “But do you really…?”

“I mean obviously he does,” Yasuhiro said. “The blackened is Genocide Jack! Everyone knows that, Makoto!”

“Of course we all know that the blackened is Genocide Jack,” Byakuya said. “But I know Genocide’s Jack real identity.”

“O-oh…?” Celeste asked. “So it is true that the infamous serial killer is among us, then?”

“Yes,” Byakuya confirms. “Although I’d rather not force the serial killer to reveal, I will if I must.”

“You fudgin’ think a stone-hearted killer would just reveal themself that easily…?!” Kiyondo yelled. “You must be dumber than a bag of rocks!”

“Shut up,” Byakuya glared. “Your voice is grating.”

“Why do you think Genocide Jack will reveal themselves?” Makoto asked. “I don’t think they’d want to be executed…”

“Do you really not remember the file?” Byakuya asked. “You commoners must have worse memories than I realized.”

“Makoto,” Kyoko said, ignoring Byakuya. “You mentioned the Genocide Jack file, but I don’t believe everyone here has read it. Could you perhaps inform us about what it mentioned about Genocide Jack?”

“Huh…?” Makoto said. “Oh sure.”

“The victims the case file mentioned were Ken Harada, Tesuhiro Honda and Shoji Gaku,” Makoto began. “They were each killed in a similar manner and attached to the wall via their injuries…”

“Get to the important information, Makoto,” Byakuya said.

“The police believed that Genocide Jack was a student suffering from a split personality due to their frantic getaways and the schedule of the murders.”

“A student…” Kyoko muttered. “Coincidentally we are all students, so that at least is a possibility.”

“Of course you’re all students!” Monokuma said, interrupting. “And Daddy Monokuma loves you all very much even if some of you are serial killers and others have the tendency to state the obvious.”

“Disgusting,” Kyoko said, shuddering slightly.

“Stop talking,” Byakuya said. “Don’t even imagine that we are even slightly related.”

“Ignoring Monokuma,” Sakura said. “How are we supposed to find Genocide Jack. We shouldn’t expect them to reveal themselves.”

“They already have,” Byakuya said. “They told me who they were when we received the second motive.”

“H-huh…?!” Makoto yelled. “Genocide Jack revealed themselves to you?!”

“Someone fudgin’ trusted you enough to tell you their motive?!” Kiyondo yelled, equally as surprised.

“And you didn’t share this with us because...?” Celeste asked. “Knowing a serial killer was among us would’ve been good information to have earlier.”

“I don’t care about your survival,” Byakuya said. “However, they promised me they wouldn’t kill anyone so I felt no need to tell anyone about their identity.”

“Ah,” Kyoko said. “That is what that mirror meant then?”

“W-wait… you went through everyone’s m-mirrors?!” Toko yelled, completely scandalized.

“H-hey…! I had private information kept on there!” Yasuhiro yelled soon after Toko.

“They were there for anyone to see,” Kyoko said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “There was no reason not to look.”

“You shouldn’t believe what my mirror stated,” Celeste said, more sweeter than usual. “The bear was seemingly wrong with that stupid mirror.”

“Oh…?! You’re accusing your father of getting your own-” Monokuma began.

“Shut up, you stupid bear,” Celeste hissed, face contorting in anger.

“Ignoring everyone else’s motives,” Kyoko continued smoothly. “There was one motive I couldn’t truly understand, up until now that is.”

“T-those were private even if they were p-public,” Toko hissed. “Don’t you have a-any respect for privacy…?!” “Why are you getting so defensive?” Sakura asked. “All of our motives were seen and you seem to be the only one truly bothered.”

“Yeah, my motive was sort of embarrassing but nothing I really needed to hide,” Makoto said, scratching his cheek. “Although I’d rather Kyoko not share it…”

“I already told you,” Kyoko began. “My motive is also just as embarrassing if not more.”

“So… can we just have Genocide Jack be revealed to us?” Yasuhiro asked. “Because after that it’s over and we win, right?”

“That does seem to be the only conclusion,” Celeste said, slipping back into her mask.

“Genocide Jack, if you reveal yourself you probably won’t fudgin’ be judged as much!” Kiyondo declared.

“I don’t think they fear being judged…” Makoto said. “They don’t want to die, or at least they probably don’t.”

“They still committed this murder,” Byakuya said. “So I have no reason to keep their identity.”

“Did they really…?” Makoto asked. “I mean the file mentioned that the police thought they suffered from another personality, right?”

“And, your point?” Byakuya asked. “A person is still dead, a person you were friends with no less.”

“I know…” Makoto said, looking down at his podium. “But is it really right to judge a person for something they couldn’t control…?”

“That does bring up a slight problem in the rules,” Kyoko said. “If Genocide Jack comitted the murder, should the non-murdering personality be punished for the same crime?”

“Puhuhuhu! That does bring up a good point!” Monokuma said. “But Daddy Monokuma has it all figured out, don’t you worry my sweet little Kyoko!”

“Don’t call me that,” Kyoko said, looking away. “I suppose we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it, then.”

“Now, if you’re done with the moral aspect of it all,” Byakuya glared. “I think it’s finally time to reveal Genocide Jack.”

“Wouldn’t you agree, Toko?”

“H-huh…?! Are you r-really accusing me, M-master…?” Toko asked, biting at her nails.

“He isn't lying,” Kyoko confirmed. “Genocide Jack’s less murderous personality is, Toko.”

“Toko… is Genocide Jack?” Celeste asked, staring at Toko critically. “I guess appearances are deceiving, no?”

“I-I… d-don’t…” Toko muttered. “W-why…?”

“You promised me that you wouldn’t let Genocide Jack kill anyone,” Byakuya said. “It’s obvious you couldn’t keep your end of the bargain so why should I keep mine?”

“I mean, I don’t doubt that she’s murderous…” Yasuhiro began. “But I really can’t see her murdering anyone…”

“Well Mac mentioned that the police thought that she had a split personality or whatever the heck,” Kiyondo explained. “So it isn’t Toko who’s fudgin’ doing it, it’s Genocide Jack or whatever.”

“Then we’ll need to see this personality switch in live action, no?” Celeste asked. “We cannot confirm if Genocide Jack is Toko unless we see it for ourselves.”

“You heard her,” Byakuya said. “Switch into that other personality of yours.”

“B-but I can’t-” Toko muttered, only to be cut off by a glare from Byakuya.

After a second, Toko fell onto the floor, startling the group with the loud thump. After a few more seconds, she arose once again.

Although, she did look a bit different.

“Hello, hello and hello!” Toko, or rather Genocide Jack began cheerfully. “You called for me and so I appear!”

“You’re Genocide Jack…?!” Hifumi cried out. “Miss Fukawa is Genocide Jack…?!”

“Miss Morose and I are two very different people, thank you very much!” Genocide Jack corrected. “But I mean according to the law, I guess you could say we share the same body at the very least.”

“Then you were really fudgin’ here this whole time?!” Kiyondo yelled, outraged. “You could’ve put all of us in any fudgin’ amount of danger!”

“Ahh, are you worried about everyone here or are you worried about Mr. Average?” Genocide Jack asked, putting her hands on her cheek, letting her tongue loll out more than usual. “Don’t think I forgot about how touchy you were with him!”

“W-wait…” Makoto said, looking at Genocide Jack worriedly. “That was you before…?”

“Yep yep yep!” Genocide Jack said, smiling. “What…? Did I really pass off as Miss Morose? Or do you really not care for her that much…?”

“It seems a little unreasonable for us to just assume that Toko had another personality,” Sakura said, explaining for Makoto. “I don’t believe anyone could’ve seen it coming.”

“Well, since the blackened has already revealed themselves to us, I don’t see any need to continue this trial any longer,” Celeste said smiling. “We now know that Genocide Jack exists in our group and is the killer. No need to continue this trial any longer, no?”

“Huh…? I’m a killer, but please catch me up on who I killed this time.” Genocide Jack asked. “All those cute boys flutter in my mind and my other regions….”

“You’re disgusting,” Byakuya said, looking away.

“We’re talking about the murder of Junko Enoshima,” Makoto explained.

“Doesn’t ring a bell,” Genocide Jack said simply. “Could you give me a description?”

“Blonde hair, blue eyes…” Makoto said, beginning to list off Junko’s traits.

“That doesn’t really narrow it down, but continue!”

“Freckles…” Makoto said, trying to think if there was anything else that was remarkable about Junko.

 _I mean, there’s the fact that her hair was a wig and her nails were fake…_ Makoto thought. _But I don’t think the blackened knew that…_

“God, you suck at describing people!” Genocide Jack laughed. “I really can’t remember any specific victim with that little description!”

“So, what did he wear…? Anything like that to point out?”

“He…?” Makoto asked. “Junko was a girl…”

“What…?! And you really think I did it…?!” Genocide Jack asked. “I only go after the most attractive of men. You know, the real catches.”

“That doesn’t make sense…” Makoto said, scratching at his cheek. “The murder scene definetly looked like one of yours.”

“Then I must’ve been framed, and hard!” Genocide Jack said smiling.

“You dare deny this accusation when we have proof?” Byakuya asked, glaring. “You really are as annoying as your other personality.”

“Oh…? A cute boy scolding me…? I think I could die right now!”

“Let’s focus on the matter at hand,” Kyoko said. “You say that you didn’t commit the murder but are there any hallmarks specific to your murders?”

“Well let’s see, I only kill the cutest of cute boys and I’m really picky about it,” Genocide Jack explained. “And, I’ll only kill with my special scissors!”

“Your special scissors…?” Makoto asked.

“Well maybe that’s usually the case, but you can’t have your scissors right now Genocide Jack!” Hifumi yelled. “All of our belongings were taken from us!”

“Ohohoho…? Is that what you really believe?” Genocide Jack asked right before she brandished her scissors. “I’m always prepared for any sort of murdering! Provided there’s a cute boy waiting to be stabbed…”

Yasuhiro and Hifumi screamed as soon as the scissors were pulled out while the others stared in a mix of shock and horror.

“Toko has had those fudgin’ dangerous things on her the whole time…?!” Kiyondo yelled. “And she didn’t see even the slightest problem?!”

“Um… I mean, that is a good reason to not change your way of killing then…” Makoto said.

“We should probably keep this in mind for any future proceedings,” Kyoko added.

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “Perhaps Toko disarmed her and she had no other way to kill.”

“That still wouldn’t make much sense…” Makoto responded before Genocide Jack. “Genocide Jack would have no reason to kill Junko, especially because she didn’t fall under her usual targets…”

“And you believe that she’s telling the truth?” Byakuya asked. “You must be stupider than you look.”

“I mean, we don’t have any evidence to show that she’d be lying about it…?” Makoto asked, scratching his cheek. “According to the case file in the archive, all of her victims were male…”

“Although the average one isn’t as cute, he’s completely right!” Genocide Jack said. “I take pride in my work y’know, assuming otherwise is just plain insulting!”

“You… take pride in murdering?!” Hifumi yelled out. “That’s unacceptable!”

“I’m a master at what I do,” Genocide Jack answered, looking at Hifumi boredly. “You might even say I’m the Ultimate Murderous Fiend!”

“You have a fudgin’ ultimate talent?!” Kiyondo yelled. “Unbelievable!”

“Is it really so unbelievable?” Genocide Jack asked. “Like I said, I’m a master at what I do and Hope’s Peak recognized that!”

“It seems more likely that you forced their hand,” Kyoko said. “If they wanted Toko they would have no choice but to take you as well.”

“But when you say it like that, it makes it sound like they didn’t want a serial killer as a part of their roster! Kyahahahahaha! ” Genocide Jack laughed.

 _They… probably didn’t,_ Makoto thought. _But then again, if their plan was to start a killing game… she’d be a good addition, wouldn’t she?_

“Hey… but if Genocide Jack is telling the truth… then she couldn’t have killed Junko,” Makoto said. “I mean… everything she’s been telling us has been pretty in line with what we know.”

“It’s refreshing that I’m proven innocent, for once,” Genocide Jack said. “However, someone went through a lot of effort to frame me, wonder why that is? Kyahahahahaha!”

“That is correct,” Celeste noted. “Who were the main people pushing for the Genocide Jack theory?”

“Um… wouldn’t that be Byakuya, Makoto and Kyoko...?” Yasuhiro offered up. “Wait… does that make them all the blackened?!”

“Don’t you dare fudgin’ accuse Mac!” Kiyondo yelled. “He’s innocent and you better not fudgin’ forget that or else I’ll make you sorry!”

“I don’t doubt Makoto’s innocence, at least not yet, but you’ve been wrong in your trust before, no?” Celeste asked.

“What the fudge did you just say…?!” Kiyondo yelled. “How dare you fudgin’ mention-”

“I didn’t mean to offend,” Celeste said. “I believe that Makoto and Kyoko are completely innocent in this incident.”

“You… didn’t mention Byakuya,” Makoto noticed. “Do you really think he framed Genocide Jack…?”

“Let me ask you this, Makoto,” Celeste began. “Who gave you that information about Genocide Jack?”

“Byakuya…?” Makoto answered.

“And you don’t find it just the tiniest bit odd that he was pushing the theory of Genocide Jack?”

“I mean… didn’t everyone think that Genocide Jack did it?” Makoto asked. “As far as we originally knew there was nothing odd about the crime scene.”

“Yes, that is true,” Celeste admitted. “However, the fact that he was originally pushing so hard shouldn’t be ignored, yes?”

“Then that’d mean that Byakuya is the blackened…?” Makoto asked, staring at the heir.

“If you’re so sure that I’m the blackened then why don’t you vote me?” Byakuya asked, looking smug.

 _Why is he okay with being voted…?_ Makoto thought. _Did he really do that…?_

“Well if that’s solved, we can just vote Byakuya!” Yasuhiro declared. “Right…?”

“I’m not so sure…” Makoto said, looking down at his podium. “Byakuya wants to win the killing game, right?”

“He has said that before,” Kyoko agreed.

“So why would he make such an obvious mistake if he knew how to properly frame Genocide Jack…?” Makoto asked. “It doesn’t make much sense.”

“Perhaps he didn’t have much to work with,” Celeste said. “He could’ve been rushed for all we know.”

“That… can’t be it either,” Makoto said.

“Oh? And why is that, Makoto?”

“Kyoko said that Junko’s injury, which probably gave the blood for the bloodlust message was caused after her death.” Makoto explained. “If he really was in a rush, he’d probably find another way to make the message.”

“That is true,” Sakura said. “Injuring her after her relatively clean death would take time that he wouldn’t have if he was truly rushed.”

“Well, that is troubling, no?” Celeste asked.

“Huh…?” Makoto asked.

“We don’t have even the slightest clue on who the blackened might be, yes?” Celeste asked. “Unless anyone else has a better theory, we should assume Yasuhiro is the blackened, no?”

“Of course, that is expected of Makoto, to not have any better leads,” Celeste continued.

“H-huh…?” Makoto asked. “What do you mean by that?”

“I suppose after everything that has happened you must be a bit worn out, no?” Celeste said. “Or perhaps you never really cared about Junko…”

“That’s wrong…!” Makoto said. “Of course I cared about Junko.”

“Is that so…?” Celeste asked. “Because from what she told me it seemed like you were just tolerating her.”

“She really thought that…?” Makoto muttered.

 _I’m sorry Junko,_ Makoto thought. _I really valued our time together as friends…_

“Will you shut the fudge up about Junko, Lest?!” Kiyondo yelled suddenly. “Why the fudge are you even bringing this up now…?!”

“Lest…?” Celeste asked.

“How Junk felt doesn’t fudgin’ matter now, all that matters now is the truth and finding the damn blackened!”

“Kiyondo is right,” Sakura said in agreement. “We can focus on the finer details later.”

“Why is Mr. Ishida so fired up all the sudden…?!” Hifumi cried out. “Is my future wife in danger?!”

“Isn’t it obvious? He’s standing up for his boyfriend,” Genocide Jack said while drooling. “Ooh, it’s certainly warming in more places than my heart! Kyahahahahaha!”

“Moving on,” Byakuya said, glaring at Genocide Jack for a moment before looking at Kiyondo. “Is it safe to assume that even an idiot like you can see the truth of the case?”

“Don’t fudgin’ insult me you rich buttface,” Kiyondo said. “But, I think I have more proof to debunk Lest’s theory about Hiro doing it, so everyone here better shut the fudge up and listen up!”

“Ah,” Celeste said. “How vulgar, but please, do inform us.”

“During my time with Mac at the nurse’s office,” Kiyondo began.

“Your first date, right?” Genocide Jack asked. “I’m so glad to have witnessed that! Kyahahahahaha!”

“Shut the fudge up!” Kiyondo yelled. “As I was fudgin’ saying, when I checked one of the damn cabinets there was something weird about it!”

“Weird…?” Kyoko asked. “What do you mean?”

“Well other than a fudgin’ mallet being there…” Kiyondo said. “There was nothing fudgin’ else there at all! Seems pretty damn useless for a nurse’s cabinet.”

“Nothing in there at all…?” Sakura asked. “If I remember correctly, the nurse’s office was well-stocked…”

“What does that cabinet have to do with anything?” Celeste asked. “Perhaps we just had the inventory wrong…” “Or,” Kyoko cut in. “The blackened needed the inventory of the cabinet.”

“What makes you so sure…?” Celeste asked.

“Like I fudgin’ said,” Kiyondo began to explain. “There was already that damn mallet in there, so the blackened fudgin’ knew the cabinet existed.”

“Even so,” Celeste said. “That doesn’t disprove my theory, despite what you vulgarly claimed.”

“Are you so fudgin’ sure?” Kiyondo asked, staring at Celeste smugly. “I think that fits in more than whatever you were fudgin’ saying about Hiro.”

“Oh…? What could you ever mean?”

“Hiro fudgin’ claimed that he was hit when he entered the physics lab, right?”

“Man…” Yasuhiro interjected. “I really should learn not to trust any notes I get…”

“And as he just fudgin’ told us, he got a note telling him to go to the physics lab,” Kiyondo said. “Although following that just proves as dumb as poop he really is.”

“Hey!” Yasuhiro yelled. “Don’t be mean!”

“That’s assuming that he isn’t lying,” Celeste said. “Are you really going to trust that idiot over me?”

“It’s not that I want to be rude,” Celeste quickly added. “But he does not have the brightest track record, no?”

“Well, if I’m remembering correctly, which I fudgin’ am,” Kiyondo said. “You told us to check the physics lab because you heard an odd noise or whatever the heck, right?”

“That is… correct,” Celeste said slowly. “Yes.”

“However when we got there, we learned that Hiro was almost fudgin’ impossible to wake up!” Kiyondo said. “So, what fudgin’ noise did you even hear Lest?”

“I… I’m afraid I cannot recall,” Celeste said. “This… whole trial has been very traumatic for me. Afterall, Junko was a very dear friend of mine.”

“Are you fudgin’ sure, Lest?” Kiyondo asked. “Or did you really not fudgin’ think that far ahead!”

“We really were good friends, not that you would understand…” Celeste said. “We confided in each about everything.”

“You confided in each other?” Kyoko asked. “Could you give us an example?”

“Why bother?” Byakuya asked. “We don’t need to hear any useless gossip.”

“Usually when people confide in each other, it is much more than ‘useless gossip’” Sakura said. “Celeste, if you’re willing to share some of what you and Junko talked about, that would be appreciated.”

“It’s a bit… hard to say,” Celeste said slowly. “But I will if I must.”

“Makoto,” Celeste began. “I do believe that you should know that Junko had a crush on you.”

Makoto, who'd been silent up until that moment startled. “She had a crush on me…?!”

“Are you really that dense?” Celeste asked. “It was the only thing she would ever really mention.”

“Really…?” Makoto asked, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach.

“Yes,” Celeste said looking away. “Too bad you never realized it, though.”

 _How… did I not realize that…?_ Makoto thought. _I’m sorry… Junko…_

“Don’t be so harsh on yourself, Mr. Naegi!” Hifumi said, attempting to cheer Makoto up. “Some people are just hard to read!”

“She wasn’t hard to read,” Byakuya cut in. “She was very clear in her efforts, however, Makoto is just the class's biggest idiot.”

“Hey! Don’t fudgin’ insult Mac!” Kiyondo yelled.

“I don’t understand,” Makoto said, ignoring all of his classmates. “Why are you only mentioning this now…?”

“I don’t understand what you mean, Makoto,” Celeste responded. “Was I supposed to mention my friendship with Junko sooner?”

“I mean, if she really confided with you everything,” Kyoko said, trying to assist Makoto. “Did you know her secret?”

“Her secret…?” Celeste asked. “You mean the last motive?”

“No,” Kyoko said. “Didn’t you say those were fake, anyways?”

“Yes, she did. My little baby Celeste insulted my motive despite it being one-hundred percent accurate for everyone!” Monokuma cut in.

“Don’t call me that,” Celeste gritted out. “And if she had another secret, I was not informed of it.”

“Well, can you really say that she confided in you then?” Kyoko said. “It’s relatively inconsequential compared to the last motive.”

“Of course you would know all about that wouldn’t you?” Celeste asked. “Digging into everyone’s personal information like that.”

“I’ve said it before, it was for public use,” Kyoko said. “If people weren’t supposed to look then Monokuma would’ve allowed us to store them in our rooms.”

“Then Celeste hasn’t been entirely truthful during this class trial, then?” Makoto asked, finally regaining some of his spirit.

“What do you mean?” Celeste asked, turning to stare at Makoto, or rather, glare at Makoto. “I’ve tried my hardest to assist everyone in this class trial since it has begun.”

“But everyone seems rather prone to believe two idiots instead of me,” Celeste said. “And there’s nothing I can do to circumvent that, is there?”

“I mean, I’m sure you were friends with Junko,” Makoto said. “But, I don’t think you were ‘close’ friends.”

“And is that so surprising?” Celeste asked. “I am Celestia Ludenberg, it is even an honor to be my D rank, let alone a C rank like Junko almost was.”

“Ranks…?” Sakura asked.

“I can’t allow just anyone to get close to me,” Celeste said. “It wouldn’t look good for my image, and apparently Junko was the same.”

“Then why did you lie to us about ‘confiding’ in each other?” Makoto asked. “It… doesn’t make much sense.”

“Nothing makes much sense to idiots like you,” Celeste replied coldly. “However, even though I tuned out most of her babble, I could easily see how much she wanted Makoto.” “I thought it would be easy,” Celeste said. “Afterall, I’m Celestia Ludenberg, how hard would it be to matchmake a model and an average forgettable boy?”

“You were trying to matchmake Junko and I…?”

“Really, how did you not notice it?” Celeste asked. “I believe even Yasuhiro would be able to tell what was happening. Were you dropped on your head as a child every single day?”

 _What was her goal…?_ Makoto thought. _You can’t really say she was doing it out of the kindness of her heart, can you?_

“Celeste…” Makoto began, hesitantly. “You befriended Junko because you wanted something out of her didn’t you?”

“What are you saying, Makoto?” Celeste asked.

“You were… planning on murdering her, weren’t you?” Makoto continued. He wanted to be wrong, even after seeing Celeste’s true colors.

“What the hell did you just say…?!” Celeste said, glaring fully at Makoto. “Are you really implying that I murdered Junko?”

“Yes,” Makoto said in finality. “And, I can explain my reasoning as well.”

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “Just end this already.”

“Celeste originally befriended Junko because she wanted to use her,” Makoto began. “As soon as she found out that Junko had a crush on me, she began to exploit it.”

“Celeste discovered that she earned Junko’s trust just as the next motive was revealed,” Makoto continued. “So now she had the perfect opportunity.”

“Celeste wrote two notes on the night of the murder,” Makoto said. “One for Hiro and one for Junko.”

“Hiro’s note had him arrive first in the physics lab, where she was waiting for him,” Makoto said. “When he arrived she quickly knocked him out with a mallet.”

“After knocking Hiro out, Celeste went to the nurse’s office to get what she needed to kill Junko,” Makoto said. “She exchanges the contents of the cabinet with the mallet and leaves the nurse's office.”

“She makes Junko and herself tea, although Junko’s tea is drugged. Then she waits,” Makoto said. “After Junko arrives and drinks the tea, she dies, leaving Celeste alone with the body.”

“After Celeste leaves, Byakuya discovers the body and decides to frame Genocide Jack to force Toko to reveal herself,” Makoto said. “Byakuya grabs several items from the warehouse and changes the crime scene.”

“After everything is said and done, the body is discovered by everyone but Byakuya and Toko in the early morning when we decided to look for Junko and Hiro,” Makoto said. “Isn’t that right, Celeste?”

Celeste froze in place, the perfect picture of unbridled rage. And all in one moment, she deflated like a balloon.

“Well, that’s it, then,” Celeste said. “Honestly, it went on longer than I expected.”

“You’re just going to give up then?” Byakuya asked, staring at her with some sort of respect in his eyes.

“There’s no point in continuing when you’ve lost, no?” Celeste asked, accent coming on just as thick. “Or at least, that’s my personal motto.”

“Why…?” Makoto asked, staring at Celeste in shock. “Why did you kill Junko…?”

“For my dream, of course,” Celeste said, smiling. “I dream of a castle with vampire butlers and it’s all owned by me.”

“That money,” Celeste continued. “Would’ve been enough for me to finance my dream after years of saving up.”

“And that’s why you did it?” Sakura asked. “Just for your dream?”

“I am nothing, if not self interested,” Celeste answered. “Although, that should not surprise you.”

Makoto frowned, but she wasn’t exactly wrong.

“Your reasoning doesn’t fudgin’ make sense!” Kiyondo yelled. “At least bro felt sorry about what he fudgin’ did…!”

“Oh, how touching this is, all my children finally bonding!” Monokuma cut in. “Daddy Monokuma hates to be the bad guy, but it’s voting time!”

The class voted for Celeste, and when their vote was announced correct they were left with a few moments of sadness.

“Before this ends,” Celeste began. “Anything you ever hear about me after this point, you can disregard. It’s all unimportant now, no?”

“And, I suppose it would be nice if we could meet again,” Celeste continued. “Perhaps in another life, yes?”

“Well, my darling Celeste got her last words in, and now it’s punishment time!” Monokuma said. “Hold onto your hats and get a fan, this one is going to get hot!”

“Ohohoho, does he mean in a sexual way?” Genocide Jack asked. “Because I’m all up for that…!”

When Celeste reappeared she was tied onto a stake and a castle was behind her. Hay lay haphazardly under her as she was forced to stare ahead.

A plushie resembling Monokuma in color lit the hay underneath her as she began to burn.

Celeste began to sweat but she also smiled, facing forward in some sort of misattributed pride.

Perhaps it was her final stand against the Mastermind.

As the flames grew higher and higher, Celeste looked up, never once losing her smug expression.

Just as the flames began to lick her face, a fire truck revved up with Monokuma as its driver.

It drove onto a ramp and catapulted up towards Celeste, hitting her and breaking the castle behind her.

Another Monokuma with a waterhose extinguished the stick that started the execution, effectively ending the execution as well.

Makoto stared in horror as the events of the killing game finally started to catch up to him. Another person was dead, and it was technically his fault. Wasn’t it?

 _I’m sorry, everyone…_ Makoto thought. _Junko and Hina… I wish I wasn’t that dense… I wish I could’ve told you that your feelings weren’t ignored…_

 _Sayaka and Leon… I could’ve saved them too if… if I had just noticed…_ Makoto thought, not noticing that tears were beginning to fall from his face.

 _Mondo, Celeste and Chihiro… you guys didn’t deserve to die either…!_ Makoto thought. _I’m sorry… I’m sorry I couldn’t help you in time…_

Makoto began sobbing loudly, blind to the world around him. He had enough with this game, although there wasn’t much he could do about it.

Suddenly there were arms wrapped around him. When he opened his eyes he could see white from his blurred vision.

“Come on Mac,” Kiyondo said softly. “I’ll take you back to your room.”

Makoto didn’t say anything as he let himself be dragged into the elevator.

He felt so numb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took less time than chapter 2, but it still took a while.
> 
> I hope if you're reading this you enjoy it!
> 
> (Makoto doesn't deserve happiness in this universe, at least not yet.)
> 
> Thanks Wesley for editing this, and I'll see you all when Chapter 4 is gifted to us by the gods!


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